A Quiet Moment
by NikkiB1973
Summary: Clarke and Bellamy share a moment during a vicious storm...set in season 1 AU. The site is not registering this story, my last try sighs.
1. Chapter 1

**A Quiet Moment **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to the respective owners.

The storm crashed loudly; lightening piercing the darkening sky. The clouds above were dark, floating fast across the sky in a chaotic dance with the wild wind. Rain pelted down heavily, obscuring everything in it's path, drenching both animal and plant and any other form of life that had dared to brave the electric storm. Two such beings were now crouched low under the cover of some of the larger trees. They were not getting much shelter, the rain was too harsh for that. The soggy leaves and branches they were sheltering under fell on top of their soaked bodies, chilling them further.

"We can't stay here." The girl's voice was carried away by the wind so that the older boy who was kneeling by her side could barely hear her.

"I figured that." He snapped in reply as he pushed his fringe out of his eyes. His hair was slick to his head as was the girl's.

"I told you we should never have attempted this crazy plan." The girl complained, her blue eyes icy as they glared at him.

"You were the one who complained that we needed to scout further afield for food, Clarke." The older boy matched her glare.

"Maybe so, but I wanted to wait until the morning at least, Bellamy." His name was once again torn away from her lips as the wind picked up and the rain lashed down on them both.

Bellamy gritted his teeth. He had learned not to push Clarke when she was in this type of mood. There was no getting through to her. She was just tired and exhausted like he was. She knew how serious the group's situation had become. They had to leave straight away, besides them there were three other scouting parties that were roaming other designated areas in search of more supplies. Finn was with his girlfriend Raven and Jasper had accompanied Octavia. Bellamy frowned as he thought about his sister. He just hoped that she would listen to the more cautious Jasper and not do anything reckless.

As if she could sense his fears, Clarke reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Octavia will be fine." She whispered softly.

Bellamy frowned as he pushed his long fringe out of his face again. He wished that he could believe that. He glanced at Clarke, her hand was warm on his shoulder but he could see she was shivering violently with the cold. Her long, blonde hair had come undone from it's plait and the wet tendrils of hair framed her face. He liked her like this, she seemed softer somehow, more open. He knew she kept a lot hidden, especially the ambiguity of her relationship with Finn. Bellamy didn't like to dwell on that. He knew if he brought it up, Clarke would shut down. Instead he put his hand over hers gently and squeezed it. "We need to move."

A soft sigh escaped Clarke's lips as she removed her hand and stared out into the darkness. "Where? I can't see two feet in front of me."

"I know, but staying here is doing neither of us any good either." Bellamy pointed out. He shrugged off his thick jacket and slipped it over Clarke's shoulders.

"No, you need it." Clarke was both surprised and touched by his gesture. It wasn't something Bellamy had ever done before.

"I'll be fine." Bellamy shrugged nonchalantly, a teasing half smile on his lips. "Just don't tell the others."

Clarke returned his smile wryly. "They wouldn't believe me anyway."

"Perhaps not." Bellamy grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her up with him as he stood. "Come on let's move."

* * *

They stumbled across the cave quite by accident. Bellamy whooped loudly as he dragged Clarke after him. Her steps were faltering, her exhaustion causing her to trip constantly. A feeling of relief washed over her at the fact that they were now free from the constant driving rain. They could still hear the crashing thunder, and the lightening lit up their new found shelter, giving them time to find the most comfortable spot.

Bellamy dropped their bags on the cold floor and sat down himself, shaking his head and running his hands through his thick hair to get the worst of the wet out of it. Clarke fell down beside him, drawing her knees up to her chest and hugging them. She had to infuse some warmth into her body somehow. She couldn't feel her fingers or her toes. She rocked back and forth, clenching her teeth so they wouldn't chatter.

"Pity we didn't have something to make up a fire with." Bellamy said regretfully.

"Not unless you fancy going back out there." Clarke shivered.

Bellamy looked at her in concern. He could see her shoulder's shaking. He was frozen himself but not to the extent she was. "Are you going to be alright?"

Clarke nodded her head, although she didn't believe it. She was sure she was coming down with something. She hadn't been feeling too well when they first left camp, but as always her stubborn streak refused to let her say anything. She was beginning to regret her hastiness now. Bellamy wasn't convinced by her performance. He rummaged through their wet bags and pulled out some water. He passed it to her. Clarke took it eagerly and held the bottle to her lips. The cold liquid quenched her thirst but it made her feel colder than ever. She handed it back to Bellamy and watched as he drank some too.

"We should conserve as much as we can. We don't know how long this storm is going to last." Clarke's voice shook as she spoke.

"I know." For once Bellamy didn't argue with her. He glanced outside and felt a sliver of fear. This was the worst storm they had experienced since landing back on earth. He thought fleetingly of his sister and the others. Hopefully they would have all had the sense to find shelter or return to camp if they were close enough.

"Octavia's lucky to have you looking out for her." Clarke said unexpectedly.

Bellamy stared at her in surprise. It was unusual to get praise from her. "I don't think she always sees it that way." He replied ruefully.

"She does. She just doesn't show it. I wish that I had a brother or sister." Clarke sighed. Living on the Ark meant that it was a crime for a couple to have more than one child. Octavia was an anomaly. She had been hidden all her life; Bellamy and her mother looking after her in secret until she was discovered and their mother lost her life for concealing the child.

Bellamy blinked a couple of times to get the moisture out of his eyes. Thoughts of his mother saddened him. He glanced at Clarke, he saw her wipe away a tear discreetly. He guessed she was thinking about her dead father. "I guess even though O and I argue we do have each other."

Clarke smiled weakly. "Yeah, never forget that."

"No." Bellamy saw more tears pour out of Clarke's eyes. He had never seen her quite like this. It was if her exhaustion had let her guard down and she was showing him a side to herself she rarely let others see, anyone except Finn maybe. His eyes became stormy as he thought about Finn.

"What's wrong?" Clarke's teeth were chattering. She had given up trying to hide it anymore.

"You have Finn." Bellamy studied her reaction. A red blush coated Clarke's cheeks and she averted her eyes from him.

"Finn has Raven." She muttered.

"What happened between you two?" Bellamy dared to ask.

"Nothing." Clarke shut down immediately like he guessed she would. "Anyway you're the one who sleeps around."

Bellamy laughed bitterly and shrugged. "It gets cold at night."

"Right." Clarke said in disgust.

"You're cold now." Bellamy was looking at her intently again with his expressive dark eyes. Clarke wasn't sure, but was there some kind of double meaning behind those words?

"We're both cold."

"Yeah, so maybe we should do something about it." Bellamy's eyes were hypnotizing.

Clarke swallowed nervously. "What do you mean?"

"I mean come here." Bellamy smiled at her in amusement. He knew exactly what she was thinking. It was written all over her face. He slipped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her close so that they were sharing body heat. He felt her stiffen for a moment before relaxing against him. "Better?"

Clarke's blue eyes danced with mirth. He had been gently teasing her and managed to pull her out of the funk she had been in. Perhaps it wasn't so bad being stranded with the bad boy. Anyway he wasn't all that bad, he could be a gentleman when he chose to. "Better." She agreed grudgingly.

Bellamy laughed and put his other arm around her, tugging her nearer. Slowly Clarke began to warm up and she felt her eyes begin to close. It was a moment before Bellamy noticed that she had fallen asleep. Her head rested on his shoulder, her drying blonde hair spilling around her face. She seemed peaceful, the worry that was constantly on her face was missing for once.

"You sleep." He whispered as he kept watch for the rest of the night.

_**A/N-thank you for reading. Review if you like.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**A Quiet Moment**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews. A couple of readers asked if this could be extended a little, so I have added another chapter. Thank you! I hope the site is working properly now, sighs! **_

**Part Two**

Clarke opened her eyes slowly; it took her a moment to focus. The weak light filtering into the cavern showed that she was alone and lying down. Her head was resting on something. Clarke rubbed her eyes and frowned as she slowly turned her head and groaned. As soon as she shifted a sharp pain shot through her brain and she winced. Clarke took a deep breath and placed a trembling hand on her forehead, it was slick with perspiration. It seemed that she was lying on her back, a jacket had been shoved under her head, acting as a pillow and another was thrown across her body to keep her warm. Bellamy must have done it. Where was he anyway? And how long had she been out of it?

Moaning again as she forced herself to sit upright, Clarke gritted her teeth as the pain flashed through her skull, causing her to cry out. She had never felt so scared in her life. She wasn't the sort of person who ever fell ill. If by chance she did catch a cold or another minor ailment, she was always back on her feet faster than anyone else. But this, whatever it was, panicked her. She was sweating; touching her forehead confirmed that she had a fever.

"Bellamy?" Clarke's voice was hoarse as she called out for her friend. There was no answer. She managed to crawl on her hands and knees to the entrance of the cave. It gave her a clearer view of her surroundings. The storm had finished mercifully and now the sun was piercing through the grey clouds.

Clarke was too exhausted to move any further. She sank against the stone walls and peered outside. Her head was heavy and she feared she was going to throw up. What a time for her to fall ill. She cursed herself for not listening to her body before she set out on this expedition. Once again she had fallen victim to her own stubbornness. While she sat and felt sorry for herself Bellamy finally reappeared. He was dressed only in a t-shirt and his cargo pants. He held a knife in his hand and in the other a creature dangled in his fist. It looked like some kind of rodent.

"Breakfast." He declared as he knelt next to her.

Clarke took one look at him, then the fresh kill, before she bent over and threw up.

* * *

"Easy." Bellamy warned her as he tied back her hair and helped her to sit upright.

Clarke took another quavering breath as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Something is wrong with me." She mumbled.

"Evidently." Bellamy replied wryly. He let her rest against him until her spinning head eased off a little.

"How long have we been here?" Clarke allowed him to ease her back so that she was leaning against the cold wall of the cave. The chilly stone helped soothe the heat pouring from her skin.

"Forty eight hours at my last guess." Bellamy told her. "You've been out of it for quite a while."

Clarke rubbed a hand over her eyes. Nearly two whole days? She couldn't process it. "We've been here that long, really?"

"Yes." Bellamy felt her forehead with the back of his hand. "You were in and out of consciousness for hours. You kept talking to yourself. I managed to get some water down you occasionally but it wasn't easy. I had to leave and forage for more water and food..." he hesitated for a moment and averted his eyes so she couldn't see what he was feeling. "I kept thinking you wouldn't be alive when I got back. Don't do that to me again."

Clarke could hear the tension in his voice and the way he was slightly hunched over, his muscles bunched together; he had been frightened too, although he wouldn't have admitted it out loud. She managed to force her lips into a smile. "I'll try my best." She said sarcastically.

Bellamy glanced up at her and returned her smile. "Good. I don't like playing nursemaid."

"I bet you were rubbish at it anyway." Clarke retorted, feeling better now that they were sharing their familiar banter.

"Whatever you say, princess." Bellamy's use of the nickname that Finn had given her made her wince. She turned her head so he couldn't see her face. "Are you hungry? Or do you just want water for now?"

"Water." Clarke muttered. She took the bottle he offered her and sipped the cool liquid slowly. It felt like heaven as it slid down her dry throat.

Bellamy watched her intently for a moment before slipping away and taking the rodent with him. He left her alone to rest some more while he skinned and gutted the creature. She may not be hungry but he was. He would never let Clarke know just how much her illness had scared him. It had been a long two days. Bellamy had sat by her side, alternately changing the scrap of material that he had torn from his shirt to wipe her feverish skin down. Clarke had thrashed around constantly. At one point during the fever she had called for her mother than began to weep for her dead father. Wells had been mentioned occasionally as had Finn. Bellamy had found that part the hardest to endure. He had a good idea what had happened between the two of them now. His dislike for Finn began to grow. Clarke didn't deserve to be thrown over like that.

* * *

The day dragged by slowly. Clarke slept for most of it, only occasionally waking up to drink more water, before drifting off to sleep again. Bellamy sat by her side, checking that her fever had lessened and was not returning. Color had returned to her cheeks and slowly, as the evening approached, her skin was no longer as hot. Bellamy began to relax. He headed out again to forage for some wood so that he could build a fire, they also needed more food. Perhaps when Clarke woke she would finally be hungry. He hunted around and found some berries and also managed to snare another one of the small rodents. With the fire he would be able to roast the creature this time. Pleased with his catch, Bellamy headed back to the shelter and Clarke.

* * *

Clarke woke to the sound of her stomach rumbling. A tantalizing smell of roasting meat was making her mouth water. She sat up slowly, careful not to jar her head, but thankfully the pain seemed to have abated. Bellamy was crouched in the cave's entrance, sitting in front of a small fire which he had managed to light. Over the top he held the meat, which he had speared with a sharp stick. He occasionally turned it so all sides began to cook. Clarke saw the water bottle filled to the brim once again and made a grab for it, drinking the contents greedily.

"That smells good." Clarke said softly as she crawled over to Bellamy's side.

"It sure does." Bellamy inhaled deeply. "You hungry this time?"

"Definitely." Clarke sat cross legged and stared at the food.

Bellamy laughed at her eager expression. He carefully tore off a piece for her and Clarke snatched it from him, biting into the tender flesh quickly. "This is good." She mumbled with her mouth full.

"Lost your manners?" Bellamy raised his eyebrows at her as he took some of the meat and began to eat too.

"There's no one here to see." Clarke licked her fingers when she finished eating. She had never tasted anything so good in her life.

"It's good to see you've regained your appetite." Bellamy said in amusement as he handed her more food.

Clarke just laughed as she ate. She could feel her strength returning with each bite that she took. They would be able to move from their temporary home by the morning. She wondered how the others were faring. They must be worried that she and Bellamy hadn't returned. Perhaps they were right now searching for them. She glanced at Bellamy, he had a preoccupied look on his face, and was staring into the distance. "What is it?" She asked.

"I was just thinking." Bellamy glanced back at her. "I'm going to miss this place."

"Miss here?" Clarke said incredulously. "Seriously?"

"Yes." Bellamy twisted round and gazed at her intently with his expressive dark eyes. "Here there is no responsibility, no rows to sort out, no one coming and forcing me to take control. I'm tired of it, Clarke, all the claims on my time. I never wanted to be in charge, not really. I came here to keep O safe. I know you're sick of it too; the constant fear and worry. The others don't have an inkling of what we have to do to keep them from starving and keeping order."

Clarke's blue eyes widened in amazement at this long speech. She would never have expected to hear something like this from Bellamy. She saw he was speaking from the heart, his eyes were blazing with passion as he spoke. God, he was a heart breaker, he really was. For the first time she could admit to herself why the others found him so captivating. "I never knew you felt like that."

"Don't you?" He asked her earnestly.

"Maybe, at times. It can be exhausting. Battling you on a daily basis wore me out." Clarke tried to make her voice light and teasing.

"You are my moral compass, we both know that." Bellamy whispered.

Clarke gasped at the way he was looking at her. She could see it, really see it. Bellamy was allowing her a peek inside his soul, what he was really thinking and feeling under his hardened shell. She didn't know whether she was ready to deal with the consequences of what he was subtly showing her. Bellamy wanted her, it was obvious now. For a brief moment Clarke let herself wonder what it would be like if she allowed them to cross the lines they had both unwittingly set to keep the boundaries in place. What would happen? Would the carefully built leadership team that they had formed fall apart? And Finn? Where was he in all this? Clarke began to shut down, she wasn't prepared for this, not yet. They both had roles to play, and the others needed them to fill them, at least for now. Perhaps when the group became more self sufficient, things could change.

As if Bellamy could read her mind he sighed and a ran a hand through his thick hair. "We will leave in the morning." He said bitterly.

"Yeah, in the morning." Clarke could hear the hollowness in her own voice. Was she making the wrong choice? How was she to know?

Bellamy glanced at her again and he gently put a hand on her shoulder. "It will be fine."

Clarke smiled at him sadly. "I hope so. I hope so." She agreed.

_**A/N-thanks for reading! Please review if you want more to this story! Thanks.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**A Quiet Moment**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

_**A/N-thank you very much for the encouraging reviews. I really appreciate it! Nikki :)**_

**Part Three**

Bellamy glanced down at Clarke, she was asleep again. Even though her fever had passed she was still quite weak and had failed to keep awake like she wanted. He smiled wryly as he thought about how stubborn she could be. He had told her to rest as they had a long journey ahead of them in the morning. But she had insisted she was fine and quite capable of taking her turn on watch. She had lasted for all of an hour before she lost the battle to keep her eyes open and succumbed to her exhaustion. Clarke shifted onto her side and mumbled something in her sleep, her blonde hair spilled over her face, covering it slightly. Bellamy carefully reached across and brushed it aside, letting his fingers linger on the the silky strands before snatching his hand back.

The last couple of days had worn him out. His worry over Clarke's health had thrown him completely. He wasn't used to seeing her so ill and vulnerable. Bellamy leaned his head against the cool stone of the cavern and closed his eyes briefly as he recalled the hours spent by Clarke's side, trying to keep her fever down and battling his own exhaustion at the same time. It hadn't been easy, and at some points he had thought about making a run for it, he weighed up whether he could carry her as she was. In the end he had decided it was best to leave her where she was and to just keep sponging her down to keep her skin cool. The hardest part had been getting water down her throat. When she was conscious she wasn't really with him. Clarke would start calling out for her parents, especially her father. He had pretended to be Jake Griffin at one point; she had been crying out for her father when her fever was at it's height. She badly needed water but wasn't co-operating when he tried to get some into her mouth. Bellamy had talked to her as if he was Jake and she had settled down and allowed him to feed her the water.

Bellamy hadn't mentioned any of this to Clarke and she hadn't asked him about it either. They had fallen back into their normal banter, neither of them willing to open up any more than they had the night before. He was regretting showing her how he felt. He hadn't said the words aloud but she had known. He had only let his guard down because he was feeling unsure of himself, a rare occurrence. Bellamy vowed that he wouldn't make the same mistake again. He had been betrayed by his mother. Her role as a prostitute on the Ark had always disgusted him, he had no idea who his father was or Octavia's for that matter. Clarke was lucky that she had grown up with two loving parents, not like him and his sister. He was stupid to think they had anything in common at all. They were worlds apart in every way. Bellamy let his bitterness consume him as he kept watch for the rest of the night.

* * *

The early morning light filtering into the cavern woke Clarke from a sound sleep. She sat up abruptly, her hair falling in a tangle around her shoulders as she looked about. How long had she been asleep? She was supposed to have been helping Bellamy keep watch. Sighing she scrambled to her feet and slowly walked to the entrance of the cave. She held onto the wall as she peered up at the sky. From the position of the sun in the sky it was obviously still very early. Clarke emerged into the light and hunted around for Bellamy. She finally spotted him crouched over their meager possessions, packing the bags and checking they had left nothing behind.

"Morning." Clarke greeted him as she strode over to his side. "You should have woken me."

Bellamy barely glanced at her as he finished packing the bags. He stood up and threw them both over his shoulder. "Ready to go?" He asked abruptly.

Clarke was confused by his tone of voice. What was wrong with him? After their talk the night before she had thought they had reached some kind of understanding. She reached out and touched his arm as he passed her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Bellamy shrugged off her touch. "I just want to get back to camp."

Clarke recoiled at his tone. This was the old Bellamy, the one she had first despised when they had landed back on earth. It was only after spending time with him that she had managed to pierce his armour to see the caring boy underneath. He had put barriers up between them again. She locked eyes with him for a long moment until he was the first to look away. "Come on." He ordered her as he started to walk away.

* * *

They walked in silence side by side for almost an hour. Clarke was feeling tired and thirsty but she refused to let Bellamy see that. She didn't want to show her weakness. She was feeling hurt by his attitude. She tried to match his fast pace but she began to flounder, eventually dizziness overtook Clarke and she unintentionally stumbled and went crashing to the ground. She landed on her hands and knees, grazing the palms of her hands. She hit out at the ground in frustration. Bellamy hunkered down by her side. He dropped the bags and rifled through one of them, passing her a bottle of water. Clarke took it from him and drank it greedily.

"You should have said you were struggling." Bellamy finally broke the tense silence.

"I'm not." Clarke lied. "I just tripped."

"Really?" Bellamy said dubiously.

"Really." Clarke snapped. She pulled herself upright and wiped her bloody hands on her jacket.

Bellamy shook his head and caught her hands in his. He used some of the water to clean off the worst of the blood and then ripped another piece of his t-shirt before wrapping the cloth around her hands. "Thanks." Clarke muttered.

"You're exhausted." Bellamy pointed out needlessly.

"I'll be fine now." Clarke insisted again.

"No you won't." Bellamy dumped one of the bags, removing some of the contents to the other one. "We'll stow this bag here and come back for it another time. I'll carry you."

"You can't." Clarke gasped.

"I can." Bellamy placed the remaining backpack on her shoulders and then turned his back to her. He glanced over his shoulder. "Come on then."

"Seriously?" A small smile curved Clarke's lips upwards.

"Yeah." Bellamy finally returned her smile.

Clarke hesitated for a moment before climbing onto his back. Bellamy hooked his arms under her knees as she wound her arms around his neck to keep herself steady. He swayed a bit before righting himself. "Ready?" He checked.

"Ready." Clarke gripped him tight as he began to move forwards.

* * *

Conversation was easier after that. The tension from earlier melted away. Whatever had been bothering Bellamy seemed to fade and Clarke was grateful. They were now back to their familiar banter. He complained that she was strangling him and she retorted that he complained like a girl. They shared insults the rest of the way back to the camp. Bellamy rested on quite a few occasions and toward the end, Clarke felt able to walk some more without tiring so easily. Just as they reached the outskirts of the camp she stopped and caught hold of his hand. He glanced at her curiously.

"I just wanted to say thank you." Clarke said firmly.

"For what?" Bellamy raised his eyebrows at her.

"For looking out for me." Clarke looked him straight in the eyes.

Bellamy stared back at her, a half smile playing about his lips. "You're welcome princess. Just don't make a habit of playing the damsel in distress, it doesn't suit you."

Clarke laughed. "I don't plan to." She retorted.

* * *

Jasper and Monty were the first to spot them as they arrived back at camp. Jasper called out to Octavia who was sleeping in the shuttle. He followed Monty and ran over to greet them. "Hey, we've all been worried. We've had search parties out and everything."

"Yeah, Finn has been going crazy looking for the two of you. Raven nearly had to punch him to get him to rest." Monty joked lamely.

Jasper rolled his eyes at his friend. "Ignore him."

They were all interrupted by the sound of Octavia calling out to her brother. She jumped down from the shuttle and began to run over to him. By the look on her face it seemed she had got over her tiff. The last time Bellamy had seen her they had argued. "I've been summoned." He gave Clarke's shoulder a squeeze before running over to his sister.

"Where the hell were you?" Octavia raged at him. She hit him the chest. "Do you want to give me grey hairs?"

"Nice to see you too, sis." Bellamy laughed as he pulled her into a hug.

"I'm glad you're back." Octavia said grudgingly as she returned his hug.

"Families huh?" Monty ran a hand through his black hair as he looked at Bellamy and Octavia in amusement.

"Uh huh." Clarke smiled at the Blake's reunion. She was glad that Octavia had got over her pique at her brother.

Jasper gave Clarke a friendly hug. "It's good to have you back." He whispered.

"I'm glad to be back." Clarke hugged him back and then released him so that Monty could take his place.

"CLARKE." Her whole body stiffened as she saw Finn running over in her direction. His face showed his relief that she was back safe and sound. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Bellamy eyeing Finn with annoyance.

"I'm fine." Clarke smiled at Finn weakly when he finally reached her. He was about to hug her but she stepped back from him. "I'm okay."

Finn studied her intently. She didn't look fine. There were streaks of dirt all over her face and her hands were bandaged. He could see the blood seeping through the cloth. "You're hurt."

"Just a scrape." Clarke hid her hands behind her back. "I just need to freshen up and sleep."

"Come on I'll help you." Finn tried to reach for her hand but she backed away again. Clarke had caught sight of Raven in the distance and she didn't look happy.

"I don't need help." Clarke hadn't meant to snap. She saw Finn flinch at her harsh tone. But what else was she to do? His feelings for her were written all over his face. She glanced at Bellamy again, he was glaring at Finn as if he would like to hit him.

Finn seemed frustrated by her cryptic replies. "I've been frantic." He whispered to her.

"I know, but I'm fine." Clarke just wanted to get away. She put her head down and began to walk off.

Finn began to follow after her but Bellamy got in his way. The two of them stared each other down for a moment in a silent challenge. "Stay away from her." Bellamy hissed as he shoved Finn backwards. "You've hurt her enough."

"This has nothing to do with you." Finn snapped.

"Hey guys, cool it." Jasper got between them.

"Just remember what I said." Bellamy warned Finn as he began to walk away.

_**A/N-thanks for reading. Please review. Any feed back welcomed.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**A Quiet Moment**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

_**A/N-thank you for the awesome reviews. Nikki :)**_

**Part Four**

Bellamy rolled over onto his side as he dreamed. He was back in the cave again with Clarke. He had woken to the sounds of her moans. Rushing to her side he found her covered in sweat and rambling to herself about sharp pains in her head. He had carefully lifted her head and made her drink some water from the bottle. Clarke had been unable to open her mouth properly and the water had dribbled down her chin. Bellamy had been alarmed when her eyes suddenly rolled in her head and she began to shake as if she was having some kind of fit. He had quickly turned her onto her side so she wouldn't choke on her own tongue. He couldn't remember where he had learned to do that, he must have read it somewhere, or maybe he was acting on instinct.

"Clarke, wake up dammit." He had cursed, even though she was beyond hearing him. Bellamy was frantic with worry and fear as Clarke kept fitting. All he could do was sit by her side and make sure she didn't roll onto her back or be sick.

Eventually her body had stopped it's weird jerking movement and become still. Bellamy cautiously looked down at Clarke's pale face as she opened her eyes slowly. "Water." She gasped.

"Here." Bellamy gently lifted her upright and held the bottle to her lips again.

"What happened?" Clarke seemed aware again.

"You had some kind of fit. You have a fever." Bellamy had told her quickly.

Clarke had frowned, lifting one hand to her hot forehead before suddenly slumping against him. "Clarke." He had called out desperately, shaking her a little in his anxiety. "Wake up, princess wake up."

Clarke hadn't woken up...

Bellamy did. He sat up abruptly, his eyes opening wide as he peered into the darkness. It had seemed so real. His previous fear came crashing back down on him as he remembered his panic when he thought he might have lost her. Bellamy ran a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck to get the knots out. He had been back in camp for two days and each night had the same dream where he was back in the cavern with Clarke. She was fine, he had saved her. There was nothing to fear now. Bellamy didn't bother going back to sleep, instead he got up and left the tent, striding out into the dark night.

The stars were high in the sky overhead. For once there was minimal cloud cover. Bellamy glanced around the camp. Everyone was mostly asleep, except for the guards that were posted strategically around the perimeter keeping watch. Bellamy felt for the knife in his belt, reassured as he touched the cold metal blade. Unconsciously he began to walk over to one of the side entrances. Monty was crouched there, looking out into the night. Bellamy's sudden appearance startled him.

"Easy." Bellamy said.

"Sorry." Monty gave him a rueful grin. "I've felt jumpy all night. There have been some strange lights coming from the trees over there."

"Lights?" Bellamy glanced over in the direction that Monty pointed.

"Yeah, blue then sometimes white. It's weird man."

"I'll go and look." Bellamy didn't wait for Monty to reply. He strode past him and crept silently toward the grove of trees.

* * *

Clarke felt a light touch on her shoulder. She tried to ignore it. She was tired and wanted to sleep. She had spent the better part of the day tending to the others supposed ailments. Now that she had saved not only Jasper's life, but Finn's too, she was designated the medic among the group. The downfall was most of them came to her with such minor ills it was driving her crazy. She didn't have any magic potions to cure a headache or a runny nose. Everyone had to get a grip. She had lost her temper at one girl, who came to her complaining about a stubbed toe. Clarke had told her to get a life before she stamped on the other one. Bellamy had been passing at the time and given her an amused glance, inflaming her ire further.

The person nudged her shoulder again. "Piss off." She mumbled.

"No can do, princess." Came the familiar smug reply.

Clarke opened one eye. Bellamy was hovering over her, a small smile playing about his lips. "Go away."

"No."

"Yes." Clarke hissed. "Unless we are being attacked by a bunch of grounders then let me sleep."

"I have something to show you." Bellamy insisted.

"What?" Clarke whined as she rolled onto her back and rubbed her eyes.

"You love weird phenomena, right?" Bellamy asked.

"Not in the middle of the night." Clarke was still feeling annoyed, but a small part of her was intrigued.

"Don't be such a grouch. Come and see. You're awake now anyway."

"Obviously." Clarke grudgingly scrambled onto her feet and stood opposite him. "Lead the way. This better be good."

"Oh, it's better than good." Bellamy said mysteriously as he flashed her a grin.

Finn raised his head where it had been resting next to Raven. He stared curiously over toward Clarke and Bellamy who were talking together in hushed whispers. What the hell was going on? Why couldn't Bellamy back off and leave Clarke alone? He wasn't exactly the best influence. The two of them seemed to have reached some kind of understanding since their return. Clarke no longer butted heads with Bellamy and had even defended some of his decisions over the past couple of days, something she would never have done before. Finn watched as they melted into the darkness. Where were they going? He glanced down at Raven, her eyes were shut tight and she seemed deeply asleep. Finn decided to follow after Clarke and find out what was going on. Carefully he eased himself away from Raven and stood, checking one last time that he hadn't disturbed her, before following after the others.

* * *

Clarke stared around her in wonder. She couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. She glanced at Bellamy, her whole face alight with happiness. He stared back at her. Clarke was glowing, with her blue eyes dancing and gazing around in awe, he thought she had never looked so beautiful. He swallowed thickly and forced his eyes to look away.

"This is...I can't describe what this is." Clarke held out her arms and twisted around and around.

Surrounding her like a halo of light were bugs of all colors. They glowed blue, white then orange, alternately landing on her arms and and hair, lighting up the trees and the surrounding area as they flew around in waves. There were too many to count.

"They beat O's blue butterflies." Bellamy said as he held out his own hand and watched as the bugs landed on his palm, changing from a vivid blue to a deep orange.

"They must be some type of firefly." Clarke spun around again like a little girl. The bugs flew from her body and hovered in the air before landing back on her.

"Yeah." Bellamy was watching her again. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away.

Clarke stopped spinning and caught him looking at her. She gazed back at him, a half smile on her lips. "Thanks for bringing me."

"No problem." Bellamy felt like his voice didn't belong to him. He shook himself and dropped his eyes from hers.

"No really." Clarke stepped closer to him and laid a hand on his arm. "Thank you."

Bellamy was about to respond when they both heard the snap of a twig. Quickly he pulled out his knife and shoved her behind him as he peered into the surrounding darkness. "I know you're there." He called out.

Clarke slipped her own knife out of her belt and joined him. They kept still and listened intently. There it was again, the sound of a snapping twig and light footsteps. They both exchanged another glance. "Come out and show yourself." Bellamy yelled out again.

Slowly into the light thrown by the strange bugs, Finn emerged. He had his hands held up in the air in a surrender gesture. "It's just me." His eyes widened as he looked at the bugs glowing in the dark. "What the hell are they?"

"What the hell are you doing here creeping about?" Bellamy snapped.

"I could say the same about you." Finn retorted, his eyes wandering over to Clarke, who was frowning.

"Did you follow us?" Bellamy demanded, he was turning his knife over and over in his hand.

"No." Finn lied.

"Yeah right..." Bellamy muttered darkly.

Clarke glanced between them, easily picking up on the tense vibe. The last thing she wanted was for the two of them to fight over nothing. She stepped in front of Bellamy. "We should all head back."

"I still want to know why he's creeping about in the dark." Bellamy kept his eyes on Finn.

"Back off." Finn said in disgust. He waited until Clarke passed him and he began to follow her back to the camp.

Bellamy closed his eyes for a moment to try and get his irrational anger under control. He knew Finn had deliberately followed them. He wondered how long the other guy had been spying on them. It was obvious he was still very hung up on Clarke despite the fact that he had been reunited with Raven. He wondered what she thought about the situation. By the look on her face every time she crossed paths with Clarke it was blatantly obvious that she was jealous. Finn was treading on dangerous ground. He was beginning to get on Bellamy's nerves. He opened his eyes and exhaled deeply. The strange bugs had disappeared and he was bathed in darkness. Bellamy slowly followed the others back to the camp.

* * *

Clarke ignored Finn as he walked beside her. Finn sighed as he tried to speak to her. "You have to talk to me sometime."

"No I don't." Clarke refused to even look at him. It hurt her too much.

"We live in the same space and I...and I miss you." Finn confessed.

Clarke flinched as she increased her pace. "Don't say things like that."

"Why not? It's the truth." Finn caught her hand and spun her round to face him. "I can't forget what we shared."

"Try." Clarke snapped. She jerked her hand away and began to run toward the camp. "Just leave me alone." Angry tears ran down her face as she ran. She had enjoyed herself tonight. Why did Finn have to intrude on her rare moment of happiness and spoil it. Clarke made it back to camp and headed for her sleeping quarters. Settling back down she pulled her jacket closer around her as she cried.

_**A/N-thanks for reading! **_


	5. Chapter 5

**A Quiet Moment **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

_**A/N-thanks for the awesome reviews. Nikki :)**_

**Part Five**

Clarke woke up with a headache; she wasn't too surprised. She had hardly slept all night after her brief altercation with Finn. She sat up and rubbed her forehead to try and ease the ache. It didn't work. Others were already up and milling about. There was a big day ahead. Raven had salvaged a monitor from the shuttle and was going to try and make visual contact with the Ark instead of just relying on the radio. Clarke wasn't too sure how she felt about seeing her mother on the screen. She still hadn't even tried to forgive her betrayal, her father was dead because of her mother's actions. Clarke sighed as she remembered how she had blamed Wells for her father being floated, when in fact it was her own mother at fault. Now Wells was dead. Clarke missed her best friend, especially in moments like this.

"Time to get up." She muttered as she forced herself to rise and head over to the temporary washing area.

It had rained again in the night and the harsh wind had blown some of their fragile shelter down again, tearing a great rip in one of the canvas sheets which was serving as a tent. Great, more people to share the limited sleeping quarters. Clarke marched over to the supply tent and grabbed some breakfast before heading on to the washing facilities. She had just entered the tent when she saw Raven inside. Dammit! The last person she wanted to see right at this moment. Raven didn't seem to be too thrilled by her presence either by the sour look she threw Clarke.

"I'll be finished shortly." Raven splashed some cold water on her face and toweled herself down. "Got to get back to Finn, he'll be missing me." She put extra emphasis on the word_ missing._

Clarke forced a smile onto her face. "You better hurry then like a good little girlfriend." She couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

"Yes girlfriend." Raven sneered. "That's exactly what I am, remember that?" With those parting words she stormed out of the tent.

Clarke raised her eyes to heaven, annoyed that she had let the other girl get under her skin. She needed to keep her wayward emotions in check. Sighing heavily she stripped down so that she could wash her hot and sweaty skin. The water felt soothing, even if it was stone cold. Clarke washed off as much of the grime as she could before drying herself off and redressing quickly. It was too cold to be standing around half naked.

* * *

Everyone was busy gathering up the food they had managed to collect over the last couple of days. Jasper and Octavia had stumbled across a stash of berries and nuts. There were an abundance of them. Bellamy had sent different groups out to collect the food and they were now all gathered together sorting through them and putting them in storage so they wouldn't be ruined. Clarke stared up at the sky, it looked like rain again.

"Great." She mumbled.

"What's great?" Jasper startled her as he came up by her side.

"The food." Clarke replied lamely,pointing at the loaded boxes. She had to stop speaking to herself. Wasn't that the first sign of madness?

"Discovered by me no less." Jasper grinned at her cheekily as he threw a berry in the air and caught it in his mouth.

"Just you?" Clarke laughed at his antics.

"Alright Octavia may have been there too." Jasper conceded.

"Where is Octavia?" Clarke asked as she stared around the camp.

"Still staking out the grounder. Bellamy won't let her near him, but she thinks by waiting until everyone is distracted she can sneak up and see the guy." Jasper's grin faded. It was well known about his unrequited crush on Bellamy's sister.

Clarke felt guilt weigh on her shoulders as she thought about the captured grounder. He had been the one to stab Finn and wound him. The knife had been poisoned and without an antidote Finn had been near death. Bellamy and his cohorts had captured the grounder and tied him up to try and force information out of him, but he had proved a stubborn one, refusing to speak even when they were forced to torture him. Clarke hadn't wanted to be complicit in that at all. She hated the thought of hurting another human being, but Finn was dying, Bellamy had been right what other choice did they have? However it was Octavia's intervention that had got the grounder to finally reveal the antidote. She had cut her own arm with the poisoned knife, forcing the grounder to tell them what they needed to know. Strangely Octavia had developed some kind of weird relationship with the man, much to her brother's annoyance.

Clarke put these thoughts from her mind. "She won't have any luck."

"You don't know Octavia." Jasper said dubiously.

"She'll be alright. She's stubborn." Clarke patted Jasper's back in solidarity.

"Like you?" Jasper winked at her as he chucked another berry into his mouth.

"Yeah, just like me." Clarke agreed.

* * *

"Chancellor Jaha I don't want to speak to my mother." Clarke protested as she sat opposite the view screen that Raven had finally got to work. Her voice sounded tinny through the headset she was wearing.

Jaha's image flickered on the screen. "She is your mother, Clarke." He said sternly.

"Let's not waste each others time here." Clarke retorted. "I know there are other parents who wish to talk to their children so who's next?"

Chancellor Jaha sighed and told her to find Dale.

* * *

Bellamy was waiting for Clarke when she finally emerged from the tent. He hadn't seen her since the night before when Finn had inadvertently interrupted them. She seemed in a world of her own as she completely bypassed him. He caught her arm and brought her to a stop. "Did you speak to your mother?"

Clarke glared at him and shrugged his arm off. "No. I was talking to the chancellor." She saw his face harden when she mentioned Jaha.

"Right." He muttered. Bellamy stared at the ground for a moment before looking at her. "If he comes down here I'm a dead man. He knows it was me who tried to kill him."

"You had your reasons." Clarke's voice was gentler as she spoke. "If you try to explain..."

"He won't listen, none of them will." Bellamy hissed. "They are only interested in themselves."

"Wells' father is a good man." Clarke protested. "He's fair. I'll plead your case with you. Just face him."

"No." Bellamy snapped. "If they come down to the ground I'm done for."

"I don't believe that." Clarke insisted. "Face him."

"Like you faced your mother?" Bellamy watched as Clarke's face became impassive.

"Both situations are entirely different." She replied coldly.

"Are they?" Bellamy said no more. He turned away from her and disappeared back into the crowd.

* * *

It had been another long day. Food had to be sorted, water had to be brought back to the camp and the broken shelters had to be patched up for the hundredth time. Clarke was exhausted, but she still had to do her rounds, which meant checking on Finn's wound. She wished she could pass the chore to someone else, but she was the only one with any medical knowledge. Clarke decided to bite the bullet and face him.

She found Finn in a small tent that Raven had poached from the shuttle. As they were a couple and Finn was injured she had decided that they deserved some privacy. Clarke pulled the cloth covering the doorway aside and strode in. She knew Raven wasn't there. She was helping Monty with the radio equipment, trying to make the signal to the Ark stronger. Finn was lying on his back, his hand covering the part of his abdomen where he had been stabbed. He glanced up when Clarke entered and gave her a relieved smile.

"Hey you." He greeted her.

"Hey." Clarke refused to look into his eyes. She knelt down beside him. "I need to check your wound."

Finn lifted up his shirt and showed her the bloody bandages that were covering the deep cut. Clarke carefully peeled back the bandage and studied it. "It's bled a little but isn't infected. That's good." She quickly and expertly re-bandaged the wound and pulled his shirt back down. "All done."

As she began to rise Finn stopped her. "Clarke, we need to talk."

"No we don't." Clarke snapped, losing her patience with him.

"I know you are angry at me..." Finn began.

"You think?" Clarke gathered up her stuff quickly, wanting to escape.

"I worry about you." Finn grabbed her hand. "I see you hanging around with Bellamy and it makes me anxious. Some of the decisions you have made lately...you should have come to me to talk them through. You can't trust Bellamy, Clarke. You can't. He hides things..."

"Like you?" Clarke said angrily. "You hid the fact that you had a girlfriend. I trust Bellamy." With those words she yanked her arm away and left the tent.

* * *

Clarke checked over the details again. Chancellor Jaha and the others had shown her a map pointing toward an old storage bunker that had been built especially to house supplies. It was only a days trek from the camp and she planned on finding it. They had food to last a few days, but if what Jaha and the others had said was right, this storage bunker had items they desperately needed, like medicine and blankets and hopefully some better shelter. It was a good excuse for her to get away from the camp and Finn again. She felt like she couldn't breathe. However she would need some help to bring things back, and she had just the person in mind.

"Me? You want me to come with you?" Bellamy gave her an odd look.

"Yes." Clarke said firmly. "We'll only be gone a day."

"Just a day?" Bellamy echoed her.

"Yeah, are you okay?" Clarke could sense that something was wrong with him.

"Fine." Bellamy cut the conversation short. Clarke rolled her eyes, so they were back to that again. Why was he so moody? She watched as he packed a bag with a few essentials and then added some food.

"What is the extra food for?" She asked curiously.

"Just being prepared." Bellamy said mysteriously. "Let's go then, princess."

Clarke gave up trying to work him out. She took the lead as they headed into the surrounding forest.

_**A/N-thanks for reading! Please review! **_


	6. Chapter 6

**A Quiet Moment **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

_**A/N-thank you for the awesome reviews. Sorry for the delay, lost my muse for a while but I'm back on track now. Nikki :) By the way I haven't gone over what happened in the episode Day Trip as I assume you all know what happened in that episode. This chapter is based twenty four hours later...**_

**Part Six**

_**Twenty four hours later:**_

Clarke and Bellamy rested against one of the tall trees. Dax lay spread eagled before them. Bellamy had saved Clarke's life after Dax had ambushed them on Commander Shumway's orders. He was sent to kill Bellamy to silence him in case it was found out that it was the Commander who had given Bellamy the gun to kill Jaha.

"You were going to leave, weren't you?" Clarke said softly. Her head was still spinning with the after effects of the hallucinations she had experienced.

Bellamy stared at her for a moment before dropping his eyes to his bloodstained hands. "I'm a monster." He said in disgust. He tried to wipe the blood off on his cargo pants.

Clarke reached out and grabbed his hand, forcing him to look at her again. "You saved my life. You can be a total ass at times, but you're brave Bellamy. What you did you did for a reason. You can't run away. We need you..." she hesitated for a moment. "I need you."

"If they come down they'll kill me." Bellamy said dully.

"It won't come to that. I'll speak to Jaha. We will get you a pardon, I promise. Don't run away. None of us would have survived this long without you. Please don't abandon us all now." Clarke felt a sharp pain in her head. She grimaced and lay her head back against the tree.

"Are you alright?" Bellamy finally seemed to realise that something wasn't quite right. On the journey there Clarke had stumbled a couple of times, but she had stubbornly protested that she was fine. Then of course they had both been caught up in the hallucinations brought on by the nuts they had unwittingly consumed. Bellamy did not want to remember what he had seen. He forced it from his mind so he could concentrate on Clarke. He reached out and felt her forehead with the back of his hand. She was burning up. "Dammit princess you have a fever."

"It's nothing." Clarke winced again as a sharp pain shot through her skull for the second time. "I just need to rest awhile."

Bellamy wasn't convinced. She felt as hot as she had done the last time she had fallen ill and that was only a short time ago. She should never have attempted the journey. He shrugged off his coat and lay it around her. Her blue eyes were glassy as she tried to smile at him. "Playing the gentleman again?" She whispered.

"Don't get used to it." Bellamy felt her forehead again. Perspiration beaded her upper lip. He became increasingly worried. Rummaging in his backpack he pulled out a bottle of water. "You need to drink."

"I'm not thirsty." Clarke pushed the bottle away. "We should save it."

"This is non negotiable." Bellamy caught hold of her chin and raised her head so she had to look up at him. He held the bottle near her lips. "Drink princess. If you want me to stay then drink."

Clarke swallowed thickly and opened her mouth, allowing him to tip the cool water down her throat. "You are an ass." She mumbled.

"And you are a stubborn mule." Bellamy quipped as he poured more water into her mouth.

* * *

It was now very dark and the night was getting cold. Clarke had fallen asleep with her back pressed against the tree. Bellamy had pulled out one of their torches and had hunted around for some wood to light a fire while she rested. He couldn't find any food. They could hardly consume the nuts again. When the fire was lit he turned off the torch to conserve the battery. He sat opposite Clarke and watched her while she rested. Her blonde hair had come out of it's braid and spilled around her shoulders. Her long lashes cast shadows on her cheeks as she breathed in and out shallowly. Occasionally she would mumble something in her sleep which he couldn't make out. She was certainly a pretty girl and Bellamy couldn't deny his attraction to her. Clarke challenged him in a way no other had done before. Bellamy had always had his pick of girls, but none of his past lovers had ever made him feel like Clarke did.

The sound of the wildlife was muted. Occasionally he could hear the hoot of an owl and the odd sound of some kind of buzzing insects. Other than that it was silent. Bellamy chucked more wood onto the fire and took a few sips of the water. Their supply was getting low, but he was loathe to leave Clarke alone and vulnerable. He just hoped she would feel a little better in the morning so he could scout for some fresh water and hunt for food.

"Finn..." Clarke frowned in her sleep. "I can't."

Bellamy scowled when she mentioned Finn's name. He watched as her frown deepened. Whatever she was dreaming about it was not a happy one. She mumbled Finn's name a few more times before a tear rolled down her cheek, mixing with the grime covering her skin. "Bellamy? Don't leave...you promised you wouldn't leave." Her words this time were loud and clear. More tears leaked out of her closed eyelids.

"Clarke." Bellamy said cautiously. He touched her shoulder and she moaned.

"Don't leave. I can't do this alone. I need you, Bellamy." Clarke whispered the words. They cut through Bellamy's heart like a knife.

"I'm here, princess." He said a little louder.

Clarke's eyes fluttered open. She seemed unaware of where she was. "Don't leave me." Her gaze fell on Bellamy and she frantically clutched at his arms. "You promised."

Perspiration was coating her skin. Her hands were hot from the fever. Bellamy could see she was experiencing some kind of hallucination. "I'm here, princess. I'm not going to leave you." He said firmly as he took her hands and held them tightly.

Clarke fell against him and began to cry softly. "I'm scared. I can't do this alone." She sounded like a small child.

Bellamy gathered her up in his arms. He had never seen Clarke like this before. She would die if she knew that she was showing any sign of weakness. Her illness was bringing out her hidden fears. She lay against him and buried her head in his chest. "I'm cold, so cold."

"I won't let you get cold. I promise." Bellamy vowed as he held her tighter.

His words seemed to soothe Clarke. She quietened down and fell asleep again. Bellamy held her in his arms for the remainder of the night. He tried to keep his own eyes open to keep watch, but he was exhausted himself. Eventually he too fell into an uneasy slumber; his dreams filled with a girl with bright blonde hair and vivid blue eyes.

* * *

Clarke's eyelids felt like lead weights as she forced them to open. The dawn's early light was like needles as it hit her retinas; she blinked rapidly until her eyes got used to the light. She felt extremely warm. Clarke raised her head and winced. She felt like she had a hangover. She lifted her hand and rubbed her forehead for a moment before she looked around her. It took a her a few seconds to realise that she was draped across Bellamy's body. His coat was wrapped tightly around her as was his arms. One hand was laid provocatively across her hip and the other had slid under her shirt and was resting on her bare stomach. Typical, Clarke thought wryly. How the hell did they end up like this? She tried to recall what had happened the night before but the details were fuzzy. One thing she did know was that she was extremely thirsty.

Clarke wriggled away from Bellamy carefully but her movements woke him up. His dark eyes opened and he peered around blearily for a second before a lazy grin lit up his face. "Morning princess. Rough night wasn't it?" He laughed as she glared at him.

"Maybe for you." Clarke muttered. "You can get your hands off me now."

"That's not what you said last night." Bellamy winked at her playfully as he held up his hands. He was so happy that she was alright again that he didn't know what he was saying. The fact that she was pissed at him clearly showed that she was on the mend.

Clarke rolled her eyes as she reached across him and scooped up the water bottle. She opened it up and drank the liquid greedily.

"Hey, leave some for me." Bellamy took it from her. Their fingers touched briefly and they both paused, staring at each other intently.

It was Clarke who broke away first. She shrugged off Bellamy's jacket and handed it back to him. He took it and slipped it on. "Thank you." She said grudgingly as she tried to stand. She wobbled for a moment as her legs felt weak. Bellamy reached up and steadied her.

"You're welcome, princess." This time there was no teasing in his voice when he spoke to her.

Clarke began to walk away before hesitating. She glanced back at him. "You are coming back, right?" She checked.

Bellamy held her gaze for a moment, trying to communicate with his eyes what he couldn't voice in words. He saw Clarke's face soften, a faint flush coating her cheeks. "I'll always come back, princess. You don't need to worry about that."

"I know." Clarke smiled at him softly before turning away to gather up her things.

_**A/N-thanks for reading! **_


	7. Chapter 7

**A Quiet Moment**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

_**A/N-thank you very much for the awesome reviews. Nikki :)**_

**Part Seven**

Clarke watched from a distance as the others fired at temporary targets which had been set up. Bellamy had warned them not to use up too much of the ammo; they would need it in case the grounders staged a surprise attack against the camp, which seemed ever more likely. Finding the guns had given them all a confidence boost, they now felt more able to protect themselves, and not as vulnerable as they had been before. Finn had expressed his dismay, his aversion to killing anything, even when absolutely necessary, coming to the fore. Clarke had been too weary to debate with him about it, she was still feeling under the weather. Bellamy had to literally carry her back to the camp, and since then she had been trying to catch some much needed rest. As she was the unofficial leader along with Bellamy, this had been hard. Claims on her time for advice and her skills as a physician didn't allow her much chance to relax.

She saw Finn coming her way again, an angry look on his face. Clarke groaned and closed her eyes for a moment, before taking a deep breath and opening them again. She studied him for a moment, something was different about him. It took her a moment to realise he had cut his hair, or rather Raven had done so. Clarke watched as he sat down opposite her, his expression still grim.

"Do you agree with this?" Finn demanded, pointing over to the other teenagers, who were aiming at each other and pretending to fire. "We should be trying to make peace with the grounders, not practicing killing them."

"We've had this debate before, Finn." Clarke said tiredly.

"You can't condone this surely?" His eyes and voice softened as he looked at her. "This isn't you."

"I'll do whatever it takes to survive." Clarke retorted.

"Even killing?" Finn's lips thinned as he glared at her.

"Yes, if any of us is threatened or my own life, then a hundred times yes. Get over it Finn. Do you really think the grounders are going to put down their weapons and show mercy to us? We have to protect ourselves." Clarke was getting exasperated with the conversation.

"We haven't even tried to negotiate with them." Finn replied hotly. "You're letting Bellamy infect your good sense."

Clarke wiped a hand across her aching forehead. She was just about to respond when Raven appeared beside them. "Clarke is right, Finn."

Clarke was astonished to receive support from Raven, the two of them weren't exactly best friends. She saw Finn shoot his girlfriend a dark look before standing up and walking away without another word. "Thank you." Clarke said to Raven.

Raven shrugged. "It needed to be said. You're right. This doesn't mean that we're..."

"Yeah, I get it." Clarke winced as she rubbed her aching forehead again.

"Are you alright?" Raven finally seemed to notice that Clarke didn't look all that well. Her face was paler than normal and she had two bright red spots on her cheeks as if she was slightly feverish.

"I'm fine." Clarke rose to her feet awkwardly.

"Perhaps you should rest." Raven suggested, not unkindly.

"I was trying to until Finn..."

"Ah I see." Raven gave her a rueful smile. "I'll keep him occupied."

Clarke felt a stab of jealousy. She knew exactly what Raven was inferring. "Right." She mumbled.

Raven just nodded at her before leaving. Clarke settled back down and closed her tired eyes. She was just drifting off when she heard someone else calling her name. She felt like crying, but as always she pushed her own needs to one side and went to deal with yet another problem.

* * *

Bellamy gathered all the guns and the ammo and hid them away in one of the storage tents. If the others had their way they would have continued to use all the bullets they had firing at a painted red circle. None of them seemed to have the slightest comprehension that the ammo was not replaceable. He shoved them away in a metal container and locked it, keeping the key on him. He ran his hand through his thick, black hair and looked around. Their food supplies were getting a little low, which meant another hunting expedition to be organized. His sister Octavia had surprised him; when he had returned from his trip with Clarke he found Octavia setting up a storage tent especially for the meat. She was organizing the others to cut it up and salt it to make it last longer. They hadn't spoken much, there was still hard feelings over his treatment of Lincoln, but she had nodded at him grudgingly as he praised her for her idea.

Raven and Jasper were working on a project together to try and make some home made bullets for the guns using the leftovers from the shuttle. She had even cobbled together some radios so they could communicate with each other when they had to split into groups. He hadn't been best pleased when Raven had first come down from the Ark, sent by Abbey, Clarke's mother, to check if they were all still alive, but now he couldn't imagine what they would have done without her engineering knowledge. How things had changed since they had first landed? How he had changed?

Bellamy left the storage tent and headed for his own. He was feeling beat and wanted to catch a nap himself. He headed inside only to find someone else lying in his bed. The familiar blonde hair shone in the dull light coming through the opened flaps of the tent.

"Princess?" Bellamy had to hide how pleased he was to see her, and in his tent no less. She had been avoiding him since their return and the conversation they had shared with Counsellor Jaha, who had finally pardoned Bellamy for his crimes when he gave up the name of the person who had given him the gun to kill him. Bellamy wondered briefly what had become of Commander Shumway. It was a fleeting thought, in reality he hardly cared.

Clarke raised her head and stared at him blearily. "Bellamy?"

"Yeah, it's me." Bellamy could hear the weariness in her voice, she didn't look well.

"I'm sorry to intrude. I needed somewhere to rest where Finn and the others wouldn't find me. I don't feel so good." Clarke bent her head again and hid her expression from him.

Bellamy came over to the camp bed and sat beside her. He put his fingers under her chin and raised her head so he could see her better. Her blue eyes were too bright and he recognized the feverish glow that she had about her. Whatever was ailing Clarke, it hadn't gone away. "How long have you been like this?" He asked.

"Pretty much since we came back. I thought I was getting over it but then..." She shrugged her shoulders, even this small movement hurt.

"You are a glutton for punishment princess." Bellamy said softly as he let go of her chin and gently pushed her back down on the bed. "Why hide out here?"

"It's the only place that I knew no one would look for me." Clarke confessed. She tried to muster up a smile but failed.

"Well you are right on that score." Bellamy replied wryly.

"Do you want me to go?" Clarke's lips trembled as she spoke.

"No." Bellamy lay down beside her and put his arm over his eyes. "Though you'll have to share with me. I came here to rest myself. I would sleep on the floor but I think my gentlemanly quota just ran out."

Clarke smiled despite her aching body. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Now that's the Bellamy I know." She mumbled before she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Finn was searching for Clarke but couldn't find her. He was determined to finish the conversation they had started earlier. He was convinced that they could make headway with the grounders if they all just got together and tried to find a way to both live in harmony. He was still angry at Raven for agreeing with Clarke. He knew that Clarke didn't really feel that way, it was Bellamy's influence. They had been spending a lot of time together lately and he seemed to be infecting her with his outlandish opinions.

He pushed away his jealous feelings. He refused to acknowledge that this was the real reason he wanted to speak to Clarke again so soon. Where the hell was she?

* * *

Bellamy turned on his side and threw his arm across Clarke. He was still half asleep, he felt her scoot backwards so that her back was pressed against his chest. Having her so close meant that he could feel the heat from her fever even through his thin t-shirt. He raised his head and glanced down at her for a moment. She seemed peaceful, her eyes were still closed and at least she was getting some much needed rest. He smiled to himself as she tugged on the arm that he had around her and pulled him closer. He liked holding her like this. Bellamy rested his head next to hers and closed his eyes again, seeking sleep.

* * *

Monty had finally told Finn that he had seen Clarke go into Bellamy's tent. Finn was not pleased to hear this news. They must be having another conference without him. No doubt Bellamy was trying to make Clarke do something else that went against her own nature. Well he was going to put a stop to it. Finn marched over to the tent, the flaps were closed, but he hardly cared. He ripped them apart and stepped inside. It took him a moment to take in the scene before him. It couldn't be true. He saw Bellamy roll onto his back, one arm still wrapped around Clarke, who was lying on her side facing away from him.

"What the hell are you doing coming in here?" Bellamy snapped.

Finn gritted his teeth as he tried to keep his unaccustomed anger in check. "What are you doing?" He hissed.

Clarke moaned softly in her sleep and mumbled Bellamy's name. Bellamy sat up and touched her hair briefly before rising from the bed and marching over to Finn. He grabbed the other by the shoulder and shoved him outside. "Get out. You had no right to come in here."

"What the hell is Clarke doing in your bed?" Finn jabbed him in the chest. "What have you done to her?"

"You are unbelievable." Bellamy said in disgust. "This is none of your business. Just leave Clarke alone."

"You're the one who should leave her alone. She's very fragile right now." Finn pushed Bellamy hard in the chest so he staggered a little.

"You are one to talk." Bellamy shoved him back much harder. Finn fell onto the ground, but was up quickly, his fists clenched.

"You've shown your true colors again, haven't you?" Finn hit out at Bellamy as his irrational jealousy took over his usual good sense. The image of Clarke lying in Bellamy's bed, mumbling his name, wouldn't leave his mind.

Bellamy easily dodged Finn and hit him square on the jaw. Finn fell back again, blood running down his chin from a cut on his lip. Others, alerted by the noise, began to run over. Jasper and Monty stood between them in case the fight started up again. Octavia came over to see what all the commotion was about. She glanced through the tent flaps to see Clarke sitting up in Bellamy's bed staring around blearily.

"Another conquest, brother?" She sneered before stalking off again. Jasper ran after her, always the first to try and console Octavia and soothe her ruffled feathers.

"Get him away from here." Bellamy ordered two of his followers. They immediately approached and hauled Finn to his feet.

"Get off me." Finn pushed them away from him. "You're not good enough for her, Bellamy. She'll see through you."

"Like she saw through you." Bellamy glared at Finn for a moment before turning away and rejoining Clarke inside the tent.

_**A/N-thanks for reading! **_


	8. Chapter 8

**A Quiet Moment **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

_**A/N-thank you for the awesome reviews. Nikki :)**_

**Part Eight**

"What's happening?" Clarke asked Bellamy when he came back inside the tent.

"Nothing. Just some idiots making a lot of noise. You should rest some more." Bellamy peered at Clarke closely, her cheeks were still red and he could see perspiration coating her forehead.

"What about you?" Clarke's eyes were already closing as she lay back down. Her head was aching.

"I have something to do, just stay here, alright?" Bellamy watched as she rolled onto her side again. She was already asleep. He pulled the blanket over her and reluctantly left again, he needed to speak to his sister.

He found Octavia near the drop ship, sitting next to Jasper on an old upturned log. Jasper was trying to console her, whispering comforting words as he put his hand on her shoulder. Octavia seemed oblivious, she was frowning and staring at the ground in front of her mutinously. Bellamy sighed and headed over to her, hunkering down so he could see into his sister's eyes. It was hard to read Octavia these days, like him, she had changed irrevocably since they had landed. The daily fight for survival had hardened everyone, especially her, who had been sheltered for the majority of her life.

"O, can we talk?" He asked her.

Octavia raised her head, her long dark hair falling around her shoulders. "About?" She snapped.

"About Clarke." Bellamy turned to Jasper who was looking at them both curiously. "Can you give us a moment?"

"Sure." Jasper stood up and reluctantly moved away a little, constantly glancing back at Octiavia as he did so.

"What is there to explain?" Octavia said mutinously. "You do what you want, as always. I expected different from her that's all."

Bellamy flinched at his sister's dour assessment of him but he forged ahead anyway, he wanted her help. "Look O, you've got the wrong idea. You all have. Clarke was in my tent hiding out."

"Hiding out?" Octavia looked at him disbelievingly.

"Yes. She's not well and hasn't been for some time, but you know Clarke, she can be stubborn. But it's getting too much for her now. She found it hard to rest anywhere else, so she came to me." Bellamy could see worry flicker in his sister's eyes.

"Unwell? How bad?" Octavia's whole posture changed as she finally looked directly at her brother.

"Quite bad." Bellamy confessed. "Enough to make me worry."

Octavia bit her bottom lip as she studied him closely. "I haven't seen you like this before. Clarke has really got under your skin, hasn't she?"

Bellamy ran a hand through his hair impatiently. It was a habit Octavia recognised when he was faced with answering a question he didn't like. "Look I came here to ask if you could keep an eye on her for me in case she needs anything. She's our resident medic, if she gets worse we all suffer. I have to leave soon to organise the next hunting trip."

"I'm right." Octavia crowed as she got to her feet. "You like her, you can't hide from me big brother."

"Will you do it or not, O?" Bellamy said irritably.

"Of course." Octavia's mirth disappeared. She began to walk away toward his tent, but then hesitated. "Bellamy?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful out there." Octavia gave him a small smile before leaving.

Bellamy stared after his sister for a moment; that was the first time in weeks she referred to him as her big brother and expressed concern for his safety. Feeling lighter of heart, Bellamy left to round up the hunting party.

* * *

"We need to separate. We're making too much noise staying all together." Bellamy told the others in his group. "Don't stray more than a mile apart, alright. I want you all to head back to camp within the next hour with whatever you've found. Stay safe."

The others all nodded in acquiescence before melting away into the dense tree cover. Bellamy checked his provisions. He had his hunting knife and his revolver. His hand strayed to the cool metal of the gun. The bullet chamber was empty, but just having it on him gave him slight reassurance. He was feeling a little uneasy. Ever since they had left the safety of the camp he was certain that they were being followed. But after thoroughly checking their surroundings, the group couldn't see any sign of a stalker.

Bellamy continued on his way, listening carefully for any sign of movement. He could hear the slight rustle of the birds in the branches above. Suddenly out of the corner of his eye he saw a shadowy figure rush past him on the left. Bellamy ducked down on all fours and peered around. A snap of a twig had him backing against the tree behind him. His heart rate went up as he strained his eyes. He heard laughter off to one side and he quickly drew his knife. Out of the dense shrubbery the last person he expected to see emerged.

"Murphy?"

"Yeah, it's your old friend." Murphy laughed maniacally. His face was covered in dried blood, one eye almost half shut as if someone had hit him in the eyes.

"You're not supposed to be here." Bellamy said warily, his body coiled and ready to spring if he needed to defend himself against his old nemesis.

"Yes, you banished me, didn't you?" Murphy's voice was bitter. "You were supposed to be my friend, you allowed the others to nearly hang me for a crime I never committed, than you beat me half to death because of Charlotte."

"She died because of you." Bellamy retorted, his anger kicking up a notch. "She was a child."

"Not a very innocent one." Murphy sneered. "Now you and I are here all alone, and guess what?" He smiled as he drew a gun out of his jacket. "I'm armed and well, you're not."

Before Bellamy had a chance to react Murphy aimed and fired.

* * *

Octavia was sitting silently by Clarke's side. The other girl had hardly stirred the whole time since Bellamy and the others had left. Octavia could now see what her brother had meant. Clarke was ill, seriously so. She had felt her head and was alarmed at how hot Clarke was. Not knowing what else to do, Octavia gently sponged Clarke's feverish skin down to keep her cool while she rested. A loud commotion outside made Octavia pause in her endeavors, she could hear shouting and cursing. The hunting party must be back already. She dropped the damp cloth she was holding and ran outside.

There was a huge crowd gathered around the gates. Octavia couldn't see much but some internal instinct told her that it was something to do with her brother. She cried his name as she sprinted toward the crowd. "Bellamy..."

Jasper saw her coming close and he grabbed Octavia around the middle before she could reach her brother. He hauled her back against him as she started to kick and scream. "He's bad, Octavia. Please calm down." He begged her.

Raven glanced over at Bellamy's distressed sister. She winced as she saw the pain reflected in the other girl's eyes as she finally caught sight of Bellamy. He was being carried by four other members of the group. They had covered his body with a sheet, but it was bright red with the blood that was leaking from the bullet wound which had entered into the left side of his stomach.

"Where's Clarke?" Raven called out.

Octavia stared around, her eyes wild with fear. "She's in Bellamy's tent. But she's ill."

"Ill?" Finn froze, his face registering his shock as he took in this news.

"Yes." Tears began to stream down Octavia's face. "She has some type of fever."

"That's why she was in Bellamy's tent?" Finn felt a lump form in his throat as he realized just how wrong he had been. He saw Raven looking at him strangely, but he couldn't think about her feelings now. All he had in his head was Clarke's welfare.

As if saying her name summoned the girl herself, they heard Clarke calling out weakly. The shouting had disturbed her, piercing through the fog in her mind. Her skin and throat felt on fire as she staggered out into the open to see what was going on. Finn immediately went to her side and put his arm around her waist to hold her upright.

"What's going on?" She asked faintly.

"It's Bellamy. He's been shot." Finn told her.

Clarke's eyes widened in shock. She managed to push Finn away from her as she stumbled toward the group that was carrying Bellamy over to the drop ship. Jasper let go of Octavia as she begged him to allow her to go to her brother. He kept closely by her side in case she needed him. Clarke swiped at the perspiration coating her forehead as she lifted the sheet covering Bellamy's body and studied his injury. Her face paled as she looked at the extent of it.

"Can you help him?" Octavia pleaded.

"She's too ill." Finn said warningly as he tried to put his arm around Clarke again. She shot him a fierce glare which kept him back.

"Get Bellamy inside." Clarke ordered the others, her voice hoarse. "Raven, I need you to establish a comm link to the Ark. I need my mothers help."

Raven nodded and immediately fled inside. Clarke began to follow her. Her head was whirling and she stumbled a little as she nearly blacked out. Octavia caught her and held her upright as she steered her into the ship.

* * *

Abbey calmly guided her daughter verbally as she explained how best to remove the bullet from Bellamy's side. It was a fraught operation; Clarke's head was aching and her hand unsteady. Raven intervened and held Clarke's wrist firmly as she carefully managed to pull the bullet out of the torn flesh of Bellamy's abdomen. Fresh blood welled out when it was removed. Thankfully he was unconscious and unaware of anything. Clarke splashed some alcohol on the opened wound.

"Is the knife ready?" She choked out.

Raven held up the knife which had been slowly warmed in the fire until the blade was piping hot. It glowed dully under the dim lighting of the drop ship. Clarke swallowed thickly as she exchanged a meaningful look with the four boys who had been chosen to hold Bellamy down while she sealed the wound. "Ready?" She checked.

They all nodded. Clarke took the knife from Raven and took a deep breath. Counting to three in her head she suddenly pressed the burning blade onto Bellamy's skin. He awoke suddenly, the pain piercing his skull. He cried out in agony as the stench of burning flesh filled the ship. The smell made Clarke light headed. She stepped back, dropping the knife. Raven barely managed to catch her before she fell into a dead faint.

* * *

It was quiet, very quiet. Octavia sat between her brother and Clarke as they lay a few feet apart, both deeply unconscious. Silent tears rolled down her face as she looked at first one then the other. They were both dangerously ill. Abbey had told them that even though the bullet had been removed from Bellamy's stomach, there was still a high risk of infection. The next twenty four hours were critical. She had been distraught to learn that her daughter was also ill with a mystery illness that they could not explain. The stress of tending to Bellamy had taken it's toll on Clarke's already fragile health. She had not regained consciousness since collapsing.

Finn and Raven had left the camp, they were determined to hunt down Lincoln and see if he had any idea what was ailing Clarke and whether he had some cure for it. They had no idea what else to do. He was their only hope now.

Octavia looked up when she heard Jasper creep carefully into the drop ship. He saw the tears rolling down Octavia's cheeks. It tore at his heart to see her so grief stricken. "Come and sit outside with me for a while. We can keep an eye on them from there." He offered. He held out his hand.

Octavia wiped at her eyes and stood up, her legs trembling as she glanced at her brother and Clarke again. She felt Jaspers fingers curl around hers as he tugged on her hand and led her outside.

* * *

Bellamy's eyes slowly flickered open. He gasped as a violent pain cut through his stomach like a knife. He clenched his teeth to stop himself from crying out. His mind filled with the wild eyes of Murphy as he pointed the gun straight at him. He heard the sharp sound of the gun firing as the bullet left the chamber. How had he got back here? Bellamy rolled his head to the side and peered over at the figure lying nearby. Was that Clarke? He tried to move but his limbs wouldn't co-operate. He needed to get to her, why was she here? Had Murphy shot her too? Bellamy forced his arm to move as he reached over to her. His trembling fingers made contact with the sleeve of her jacket, but he couldn't reach her hand.

"I love you." He mumbled as pain rippled through his body again. His hand dropped by his side as he lapsed into unconsciousness.

_**A/N-please review! **_


	9. Chapter 9

**A Quiet Moment**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

_**A/N-thank you for the awesome reviews. I thought I better update quickly before my muse disappears. LOL ;) Nikki **_

**Part Nine**

Lincoln looked down at Clarke as he examined her. He moved her hair to the side and checked her glands, then felt her forehead with the back of his hand. She was still very feverish. Her skin was coated in perspiration and her breathing shallow. He stepped back, his expression grim. "It's the night fever."

"Night fever?" Finn echoed him. "What the hell is that and how can we cure it?"

"You can't." Lincoln said bluntly. "She either lives or dies, it's as simple as that."

Finn glared at him as he clenched his fists. "That's it, that's all you have to say?"

Raven touched his arm and cautioned him to be quiet. "Is it contagious?" She asked the vital question.

"No. You usually catch it from infected water. Unless someone else drank from the same source Clarke did then they should be fine." Lincoln glanced behind him where Octavia was hovering. He longed to go and hug her; she was distraught over Bellamy who was still unconscious.

"Is there anything we can do at all?" Raven questioned. Out of everyone she seemed the most level headed to Lincoln.

"You need to keep her hydrated, boil the water you use. Force the water down her even if she's unconscious. You need to flush the illness out of her." He said.

"Right." Raven wiped her hands on her cargo pants. Finn was kneeling next to Clarke, his hand stroking the hair away from her fevered forehead. It hurt Raven to see him ministering to the other girl. She had been trying her best to deny the fact that Finn was in love with Clarke, but seeing it shown so openly made it impossible to ignore. She had lost him, she had to face that fact. It scared her deep inside. He had been a huge part of her life and she didn't know how she was going to cope without him. She turned her back on the scene and hugged her arms around her middle.

Lincoln watched her leave before joining Octavia. He pulled her into a comforting hug. "I wish I could have been here for you."

"You didn't know." Octavia mumbled. She buried her face in his chest and began to cry softly.

* * *

The group was rudderless without Clarke and Bellamy to guide them. They hovered around the drop ship in groups, whispering to each other. The jobs that needed to be done were neglected. The meat began to go off in the warm sun and the water which needed to be brought to the camp daily was not topped up. Raven came out into the open air and looked at them all. They seemed completely unsure what to do. Someone needed to take charge; Finn would have been the natural choice, but he was too preoccupied with Clarke. Thinking about them caused Raven to wince. She needed to take her mind off of her pain. Taking charge and getting the other teenagers doing something constructive would be a start. Raven took a deep breath and called the others together.

* * *

Finn took the water that Octavia offered him and lifted Clarke's head, tipping it back slightly so her mouth partially opened. She felt as light as a feather, not having eaten anything properly for a number of days. He steadied the back of her head with his other hand and then began to gently trickle the water into her mouth. Almost as soon as it hit the back of her throat Clarke's gag reflex kicked in; she coughed, spewing the water back out. Her eyes opened briefly, before rolling back into her head as they closed again. She became limp.

"I can't get her to take it." Finn said desperately. He gazed at Lincoln and Octavia in despair.

"You have to be firm." Lincoln reluctantly released Octavia and took the water from Finn. He then gripped the back of Clarke's head tightly, leaned it back so that her mouth opened, then poured the whole lot down in one go. She gagged at once, but Lincoln clamped her mouth shut and pressed on her throat. She swallowed the fluid.

Finn looked at Lincoln in horror, his rough grip had left red marks on Clarke's fair skin. "You're hurting her."

"Do you want her to live or die?" Lincoln snapped. "This is the only way."

Finn swallowed the lump in his throat. He wished he could be as strong, but his inability to bear hurting anything went against him. He tried to copy Lincoln's movements but failed. He hung his head, bitterly disappointed in himself. Bellamy suddenly came to; he groaned in pain as his stomach lurched. Finn raised his head and stared at his rival. Bellamy would have the strength to do what was necessary, even it it wasn't always right. Finn hated the fact that he had found something to admire in the other guy. He gritted his teeth and ignored Bellamy's moans of pain as he lifted Clarke's head and tried to force the water down her throat again.

* * *

Octavia knelt by her brother's side. She pushed on his shoulder to keep him lying flat. "Don't move, you'll open up the wound again." She chided him.

"I can't lie here like this." Sweat beaded on Bellamy's forehead as he tried to sit up again. He wanted to see Clarke but the others were getting in his way.

"Let him up." Lincoln said tonelessly. He had no love for Octavia's brother. The way he had tortured him was still fresh in Lincoln's mind.

Bellamy suddenly became aware that Lincoln was in the drop ship with them. He forced himself upright and glared at the other guy. "What the hell is he doing here?" He demanded weakly.

"We needed his help." Octavia said shortly. "We needed to see if he knew what was wrong with Clarke."

"And did he?" A worried frown crossed Bellamy's forehead as he gazed at his sister.

"Yes, but there is no cure." Octavia saw her brother sway and she held him still as he clutched his stomach.

"There has to be." Bellamy growled as he pushed her hands away. He glared up at Lincoln who stared impassively back at him. "You lied to us about the poisoned dagger. How do we know that you're not lying now?"

"You don't." Lincoln shrugged. "But I'm not."

"Let me see her." Bellamy tore his eyes away from Lincoln and gently pushed his sister to one side as he stood, he swayed again unsteadily. Octavia quickly put her arm around his waist and helped him limp over to Clarke's side. His heart lurched in his chest as he gazed down at her. Clarke's face was stark white, all the colour had been leached from her skin. Her hair was caked in sweat as was her body. She was breathing shallowly. "We have to do something."

Finn's lips thinned as he shot Bellamy a dark look. "What do you think we're trying to do?"

Bellamy ignored Finn and, with Octavia's help, he sat next to Clarke on her makeshift bed. He reached out to touch her hair but Finn stopped him. "Don't touch her." He snapped.

They locked eyes for a moment, staring each other down. Octavia exchanged a look with Lincoln. "She needs to keep hydrated. You two arguing doesn't help."

"What are her chances?" Bellamy asked.

"As I told the others she either lives or dies. There is no specific pattern to the Night Fever. I have seen healthy individuals struck down by it and they die, then on the other hand I've seen weakened individual's survive." Lincoln said nonchalantly.

"Why is it called the Night Fever?" Finn kept stroking Clarke's forehead with trembling fingers.

"The victims often die during the night hours." Lincoln informed them. He turned to face Octavia. "I have to leave now. I was supposed to be at a tribal meeting. They will begin to track me if I don't turn up soon. You don't want them here." He reached out and cupped Octavia's cheek as tears began to spill out of her eyes.

"I can't believe you have to go so soon." She said sadly.

"I'm sorry." Lincoln pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. He could feel Bellamy's eyes boring into the back of his head. He reluctantly let go but whispered to her. "I'll be in touch. Look out for the white flower."

Octavia nodded. She watched him with her heart in her eyes as he left the ship and melted into the shadows.

* * *

Finn tried to force more water down Clarke's throat but he struggled. She wasn't taking enough in. Octavia tried too, but she encountered the same problem. Bellamy had retired to his bed again, the pain in his abdomen forcing him to rest. He rolled his head to the side and kept watching Clarke as the others tried to care for her.

"Her breathing is becoming more ragged." Finn said in alarm after another hour had passed. Clarke's fever had spiked and she was beginning to thrash around, moaning.

"She needs more water." Octavia watched as Finn once again tried to get Clarke to swallow some, but it dribbled out of her mouth.

Bellamy felt anger surge through him. Why the hell was Finn so weak? He gritted his teeth and sat upright again. He ignored the pain and staggered over to Clarke's bedside. She needed to survive; she had to, he would sit here and force the water down her throat as he yelled at her. He snatched the water from Finn's limp fingers and tangled his hand in the back of Clarke's blonde hair.

"You're being too rough." Finn tried to prise his hand away from Clarke.

"Get off me." Bellamy warned him, his dark eyes filled with anger. He tipped Clarke's head back and forced the water down her throat. She choked again but he clamped her mouth shut and she swallowed the liquid. "That's it princess, do as your damn well told."

"You're an animal." Finn yelled at him.

"And you're a coward." Bellamy retorted. "Get me some more water." He ordered his sister. Octavia scooted away and brought some more. She smiled a little as she handed it back to him. Her brother was back! She watched in silent fascination as he forced more water into Clarke."That's it princess." He continued to urge her.

He held the cup out for Octavia to refill it. His sister scurried away to do his bidding; her heart feeling reassured now that her brother was taking charge.

_**A/N-thanks for reading! **_


	10. Chapter 10

**A Quiet Moment**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

_**A/N-thank you for the awesome reviews. Nikki :)**_

**Part Ten**

_Twenty four hours later;_

Clarke forced her eyes open; they felt like lead weights. She regretted it as soon as the harsh light which shone between the hangings covering the entrance to the drop ship, hit her retina's. She blinked a couple of times, finally becoming aware of her dry throat and lips. What the hell had happened? The last thing she remembered was sealing Bellamy's wound with the knife before lapsing into unconsciousness. How long had she been out of it? Clarke twisted her head to the side and saw another figure lying on a makeshift bed not too far from hers. The person was lying facing away from her, but by the spillage of black hair lying across the blanket which was being used as a pillow; Clarke guessed it was Bellamy. Was he alright? Had the wound healed?

"Bellamy?" She rasped. She coughed as her throat burned.

"Clarke? Thank god." Another voice made her head twist around in the other direction. She saw Finn hovering by her bedside, a relieved smile all over his face.

"Finn? How long?" Clarke couldn't get anymore words out.

"You've been out of it for about two days now. You had us all seriously worried." Finn stroked her hair back from her forehead.

"Two days?" Clarke whispered. She couldn't believe it. Her whole body ached, but at least the constant ponding in her head had subsided. "Bellamy, is he okay?"

Finn frowned. "Yeah, he's over the worst." He muttered.

"Is something wrong?" Clarke heard the bitterness lacing his voice.

"No, nothing. You need to keep resting. Do you think you could eat something?" Finn asked.

"I'll try. I could use some water though." Clarke tried to sit up but her head whirled and she fell back.

"Stay still. I'll get you something." Finn leaned down and kissed her hair before leaving.

Clarke sighed as she tried to sit up again. It took considerable effort but she managed it at last. Her eyes drifted over to Bellamy. "Hey...hey." She called over to him.

Bellamy flopped onto his back and opened his eyes. "Nice of you to join us sleeping beauty." He quipped as he grinned at her lazily.

"Nice to see how worried you've been about me." Clarke's lips curved up into a half smile.

"Next time you want to take a nap for two days, princess, give us all a little warning." Bellamy rolled onto his side and then carefully sat up, one hand clutching his abdomen.

"Is it still sore?" Clarke went straight into her doctor mode. "Let me check that the wound is healing." She gestured for him to come over so she could examine him.

"Princess you've just woken up after driving us all crazy with worry for two days." Bellamy's grin had faded; his dark eyes showed his underlying anxiety that he had tried to keep hidden from her. "I think checking me over can wait."

"But it could be infected." Clarke's usual stubbornness kicked in. She forced her legs to move and placed her feet on the floor.

"Princess, don't you dare?" Bellamy warned her as he watched her rise unsteadily to her feet. Clarke ignored him and tried to take a step forward, but her legs were too weak to support her. Bellamy stood up too quickly, pulling on his wound, as he tried to stop her falling. He caught her around the waist before they both tumbled to the ground.

"Dammit." Bellamy cursed as he rolled onto his back. He heard Clarke echo his sentiment. They both lay side by side on the floor of the drop ship, breathing heavily.

"That wasn't my best move." Clarke began to laugh, which turned into a cough as her dry throat closed up.

"You can say that again, stubborn princess." Bellamy turned his head to face her, his dark eyes dancing with amusement.

That's how Finn found them, lying side by side on the floor, staring into each others eyes.

* * *

Raven was packing up her stuff in the tent that she shared with Finn, not that there was much. She stared around for a moment, her eyes moist with tears as she hefted her backpack on her shoulder. Before she had a chance to leave Finn himself came striding into the tent, a fierce expression on his face.

"Unbelievable." He muttered as he threw himself on top of the makeshift bed.

Raven turned her head so he couldn't see her tears. "What is?" She mumbled.

"Bellamy." Finn said his name like a curse.

"What has he done now to get under your skin?" Raven asked.

"He forced Clarke to check his damn wound. I found her collapsed on the floor. Of course she denied it. You know how selfless she is. I started to lay into Bellamy and she ordered me out. I can't understand how she can defend that guy." Finn put his hands behind his head as he glared up at the roof of the tent, not looking Raven's way at all.

"Because she loves him that's why." Raven stated bluntly. She watched as Finn finally looked directly at her.

"Where the hell do you get that idea?" He demanded. "And why have you packed up your stuff?" He stared at her backpack.

"It's written all over her face whenever she looks at him or argues with him. I'm not the only one who has noticed it. You just refuse to see it because you are in love with her yourself." Raven replied bitterly.

"Raven, we've been through this." Finn scrambled to his feet as he tried to reach out to her. She stepped back from him.

"It's over Finn." She said dully.

"Don't do this." Finn pleaded, a guilty light shining in his eyes.

"Let me have some dignity." Raven snapped. She tore the necklace off that he had given her when they had first become lovers. She threw it on the floor at his feet. "We're done." With those parting words she left.

* * *

Octavia watched in amusement as she listened to her brother and Clarke exchange their usual insults. They had even argued a little, which showed that they were both well on the way to recovery. Octavia helped Clarke eat a little soup. Her hands had trembled too much when she had tried to spoon the thin liquid into her mouth and it had ended up dribbling down her chin. Bellamy had sighed in exasperation and told Clarke she had reverted to her baby status.

"Well at least I grew out of my toddler stage." Clarke retorted. "Unlike you. You've been regressing for years."

"Says the princess with dribble down her chin. Hey O,pass the little madam a bib." Bellamy was lying on his back, grinning.

Clarke stuck her tongue out at Bellamy which made him laugh. Octavia passed Clarke a clean cloth so she could clean herself up a little. "I thought Finn would be here." She said.

"He was but the princess here ordered him out." Bellamy's smile widened.

"Why?" Octavia was astonished. "Finn has been by your side constantly for days." She pointed out to Clarke.

"He started yelling at Bellamy." Clarke bit her lip as guilt began to form in her chest. It had been an instinctive reaction when Finn had laid into Bellamy unfairly. She shouldn't have been so hasty. She pondered why she had acted in such a way.

"What did you do now, big brother?" Octavia raised her eyebrows at him.

"What can I do?" Bellamy shrugged dismissively. "He takes things the wrong way."

Octavia spooned some more soup into Clarke's open mouth. "Only because you goad him, Bellamy." She glanced at him as he turned his face away from her. "And we all know why."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Bellamy put his hands behind his head and refused to speak after that.

Octavia smiled to herself as she helped Clarke to finish eating.

* * *

It didn't take long for the news to spread around the rest of the camp that the two leaders were well on the road to recovery. Much to Clarke and Bellamy's chagrin it became business as usual as the others began to drift into the drop ship in one's and two's, already armed with a list of worries and complaints. Bellamy had to retreat to his own tent and hold an emergency meeting with his followers as they wanted his advice about patrolling the borders and organizing the next food run. Clarke was forced to lay on her bed in the drop ship as a parade of people came to ask her advice about their minor ailments. Octavia had to shoo them away in the end when Clarke began to tire.

"I can't believe them." She said hotly as she closed the drapes.

"They're just worried." Clarke lay her head down and closed her weary eyes.

"You've just got over a major illness. They are being selfish. You shouldn't let them take advantage." Octavia warned her.

"Maybe." Clarke agreed grudgingly.

The drapes parted again and Finn came inside. His eyes strayed right to Clarke. Octavia glared at him for a moment before leaving them both alone. She could sense a serious talk was about to take place. Raven had confided in her that she was going to end things with Finn.

When Octavia was gone, Finn approached Clarke and knelt beside her bed. He took her hand in both of his own and gazed at her, the love he felt for her showing clearly in his eyes. Clarke swallowed thickly. She couldn't deal with this right now.

"Raven and I have parted ways." Finn told her. "She knew as did I that things weren't the same. She knew I loved you."

"No Finn..." Clarke pulled her hand away.

"Why?" Finn implored her. "You love me, I love you. There is nothing stopping us from being together now."

"I don't trust you. I'm sorry." Clarke turned away from him. "You lied to me, I can't get past that."

"Clarke..."

"No. Not now. Please I need to rest." Clarke felt tears prick at her eyes as Finn stood back up.

"I'm not giving up." He whispered before he finally left her alone.

_**A/N-thanks for reading! **_


	11. Chapter 11

**A Quiet Moment**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

_**A/N-thank you for the awesome reviews. Nikki :) This is for WyaRose who came up with the suggestion for this chapter! **_

**Part Eleven**

It was night time again. Clarke lay on her makeshift bed and stared up at the domed ceiling of the drop ship. It was quiet inside, apart from the guards everyone else was sleeping. Her meeting with Finn was still very much on her mind. How could he just blurt out what he wanted like that? She was still feeling fairly ill. She wished she had heeded Octavia's warning and allowed her to keep the others away. Clarke felt her forehead, it was burning up again. The familiar ache ripped through her skull and she winced.

"Dammit." She mumbled as she sat up and placed her feet on the cold metal floor. She forced her weak legs to take her weight as she stumbled her way over to the jug containing the clean water. She was extremely thirsty. Her dry throat felt scratchy. Clarke spilled most of the water as she tried to pour it into the metal cup. She cursed again before lifting the cup to her lips and swallowing the cold liquid.

Clarke twisted around again and stared blearily over toward her bed. It seemed to have moved further away, but perhaps that was her vision. She rubbed her eyes and when she opened them everything around her seemed to be bathed in a hazy glow. Heat licked up and down her spine as she put her hands out in front of her and tried to feel her way back to her bed. But she didn't make it. Her feet got tangled up together and she fell to the floor with a dull thud, knocking herself unconscious.

* * *

Bellamy stretched his limbs but regretted it immediately when he felt the pull on his wound. He lifted his t-shirt and prodded at the bandage covering his stomach. Thankfully it wasn't turning red so the wound must still be sealed. He pulled his t-shirt back down and made his way out of his tent and back toward the drop ship. It had been a long, tiring day. He was pissed that the others couldn't seem to organize a simple expedition to gather the berries which grew in abundance just outside the boundary walls. They were panicking that Murphy was lurking nearby waiting to pounce. Bellamy had lost his temper with them in the end. He pointed out that he had been Murphy's target and that now they knew he had been around they would go out heavily armed with the rifles. He had been exasperated when they actually wanted him to lead them outside.

"I am just recovering from a gunshot wound. I can barely stand. What use would I be right now?" He had yelled at them. "Man up and go do it yourselves. It is just outside. Jasper you lead them."

Jasper had nodded. Out of the whole group he seemed the only one at ease. It gave him status being close to Bellamy, before he and Monty had always been the outsiders, the loveable geeks. But now people listened to him and took him seriously. He had picked up one of the rifles and began to leave the tent, urging the others to follow him. Reluctantly they had done so, giving many a backward glance at their injured leader.

Bellamy made his way back to the drop ship to check on Clarke's progress. He was guessing that she had probably had a hell of a day just like he had. It was worse for her she was still very weak after battling a severe illness. He had hoped that Octavia's good sense would make her keep the worst of the hypochondriacs away. A smile tugged at his lips as he thought about how stubborn Clarke could be, she was her own worst enemy at times. He remembered that morning when she had first come to, her initial thought had been to check his wound instead of worrying about herself. It lightened his heart to think that she had got through the worst. He had been very anxious and worried at one point. It was only focusing on getting the water into Clarke's system that had kept him from losing it completely.

There was a chill in the night air. Bellamy saw his breath fog in front of him as he slowly wound his way toward the ship. It loomed like a lonely sentinel in front of him. The others who usually hung around inside had been forced to vacate the ship while he and Clarke recovered. It must be pretty lonely for her being inside that dark monolith all by herself. She would probably be glad of company, even if it was only his. He climbed up the metal ladder until he was able to slip silently inside. It was quite dark. The overhead lights had been turned off to save the generator and a single torch lit the interior. Bellamy glanced over toward Clarke's bed and was surprised to see it empty. Where the hell was she? Surely she hadn't left. He would have words with her if she was out somewhere tending to someone else when she should be resting.

"Clarke?" He called out, his voice echoing around the drop ship. He listened intently and peered into the half dark when he heard a small moan. He followed the sound until he reached it's source. Bellamy let out an expletive as he saw Clarke lying on her front on the cold floor. Her head was twisted to the side, her blonde hair covering her face. "Dammit it, princess."

Bellamy crouched down and moved her hair aside so he could examine her closer. He winced when he saw the dark bruise forming around her eye. What worried him even more was the heat pouring off of her skin. The fever was back. Lincoln's words echoed in Bellamy's brain as he gritted his teeth and lifted Clarke up into his arms.

"_It's called the Night Fever because it is more often than not during this time that they die..."_

* * *

Bellamy forced his own waning strength to hold out until he reached Clarke's bed. The weakened muscles in his arms shook as he placed Clarke as gently as he could into her bed. He sat beside her and examined her again. Her cheeks were flushed red and her skin was coated with perspiration. He couldn't believe that this was happening again. He blamed himself. He shouldn't have allowed himself to get distracted by the others wants. Clarke's health should have taken priority.

"Princess, can you hear me?" Bellamy shook her gently.

Clarke opened her eyes briefly and moaned. "It hurts."

"I know that it does." Bellamy smoothed her sweat soaked hair back from her face. "Stay strong, princess."

Clarke's breaths came out in shallow pants as she tried to focus on Bellamy. "I'm scared." She sounded like a frightened child and it pained Bellamy to see the normally strong girl so weakened.

"Do you know what? I'm scared too." Bellamy choked out. "You can't keep doing this to me, princess." He stroked her hair some more.

The whites of Clarke's eyes shone dimly in the dull light from the torch. "You're never scared." She whispered.

"I am. You scare me." Bellamy confessed.

"I do?" Clarke said faintly as her eyes began to close.

Bellamy began to panic. Some internal instinct told him he needed to keep her awake and lucid. If she slept he was frightened she wouldn't wake ever again. "Yes you do, princess. You scare me because you force me to feel."

Clarke took in a deep breath and forced her eyes open again so she could study him closely. His face was close to hers and she was certain that she could see tears welling up in Bellamy's eyes. "I only want you to see your potential." She whispered. "You can do great things if only you would let people in. You have to learn how to trust."

"I trust you." Bellamy confessed. "I trust my brave princess." He caressed her face as he spoke, one tear beginning to roll down his cheek.

Clarke smiled faintly. She lifted one hand and and touched his face before it fell to her side again. "I need you to do the right thing, Bellamy." She murmured. "I need you to be the leader that I know you can be when I'm gone."

"Don't say that, don't you dare say that." Bellamy said heatedly.

Clarke tried to speak again but her throat had tightened and she couldn't get her words out. She tried to say with her eyes what she couldn't put into words. Bellamy felt more wetness running down his cheeks as he locked eyes with her. He had never felt such pain in his life, not even when his mom had been taken from him. He lifted Clarke's hand and placed it on his face, his tears ran between her fingers.

"See what you've done?" He cried out. "You've made me feel and I can't stand it. It's just pain. Whenever I care for someone they're always taken away from me. Are you going to add yourself to that list?"

Clarke's eyes had closed, she couldn't keep them open any longer. The pain in her head was getting too much to bear. Her own tears leaked from under her closed lids. She could feel his pain; she didn't need to see it written all over his face. Her skin felt like it was on fire and at any moment she was certain it was going to consume her. Clarke tried to form some more words; she had much more to say but the tightness in her throat wouldn't let them pass. In the end she could only mouth the words. "I'm sorry."

* * *

Bellamy could feel Clarke's hand become limp. He watched as it dropped to her side and she became still. He stared at her for what felt like hours but was in reality merely seconds. She wasn't breathing. He suddenly sprang to life, resting his ear near her chest to see if he could hear her take a breath, nothing! Bellamy had never paid attention to the life saving classes they had held on the Ark. His mother had urged him often to take it seriously. What if Octavia needed saving one day and he didn't know what to do to help her? Basic life saving skills would make all the difference. It was only this threat that had made him attend the classes.

His whole mind was in turmoil. What did he need to do? "Dammit think, think." He yelled at himself. He ducked his head to her chest again to listen for a heartbeat but he was so wound up he couldn't hear anything apart from the roaring in his ears. His own heart constricted in his chest as his breathing became ragged. He closed his eyes for a second and forced himself to calm down. He needed to get her breathing again. As if he could hear his old instructors voice in his head Bellamy began to perform CPR on Clarke. He breathed into her mouth over and over as he gave her the kiss of life, then alternatively he would pump on her chest.

"Come on." He shouted at her. "Don't do this to me, princess. Stop being so damn stubborn."

Adrenaline pumped through his weary body lending him extra strength as he continued on with his efforts. Time and again he checked for a pulse and each time he was bitterly disappointed. Bellamy had fought hard for many things in his life, but this had been his hardest fight thus far. He had lost many but he wouldn't lose this one. He kept yelling at Clarke to wake up over and over, the sound of his own voice keeping rhythm to the compressions he placed on her chest.

Bellamy's efforts were finally rewarded when he heard the most beautiful sound in the world. Clarke had breathed.

* * *

It was very quiet in the drop ship. Bellamy lay next to Clarke on her bed keeping watch over her. The fever had spiked and her skin had begun to cool. She was breathing on her own and her heartbeat remained steady. The night hours slipped by slowly and Bellamy did not falter in his vigil. He curled his body around her to keep Clarke warm when he saw goose pimples rise on her fair skin. Eventually dawn's early light pierced through the gap in the drapes which hung across the entrance to the drop ship. It landed on Clarke and it made her squint as she finally opened her eyes.

"Bellamy?"

"Hey." Bellamy raised his head where it had been lying next to hers and gazed down at her.

"Hey." Clarke's lips curved up into the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

_**A/N-Please review! **_


	12. Chapter 12

**A Quiet Moment**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

_**A/N-thank you for the awesome reviews. Nikki :)**_

**Part Twelve**

_Five days later;_

Clarke was glad to finally get out of the drop ships cloying atmosphere and out into the open air. The days were now turning chilly and, as she exhaled, she saw her breath mist in the air in front of her. Zipping up her jacket she wandered down the ramp and looked about her. The group had been extremely busy while she had been incarcerated inside recuperating. After showing relief at her recovery Bellamy had then become angry, ranting that she should never have been left alone and it was about time the others stopped taking them both for granted. He was going to kick their asses. He had kept his word. Clarke hadn't been able to see him giving the others a dressing down but she had heard him. Most of his speech was littered with expletives but he certainly got his message across.

Over the last few days she'd had visits from many of the other teenagers, they were very contrite and solicitous, apologizing for their earlier lack of understanding just how ill she truly was. Clarke knew she shouldn't have been amused at their discomfiture as they even brought her small gifts of food or extra blankets to keep her warm, but she couldn't help it. Perhaps she and Bellamy should have been firmer from the outset and not let the group become overly reliant on them. This had been a wake up call for everyone.

The group had been very industrious as they prepared themselves to try and survive the winter. The tents and other dwellings had been strengthened to hopefully withstand the bad weather that was approaching. The outer walls of the camp had been heightened and more wood had been brought inside and stockpiled to make fires. Octavia's meat tent as it was now being called had been rebuilt in wood and more canvas covered the top half to keep out the rain. Berries and nuts had been packed away in storage containers and the water butt had been repaired so it was no longer leaking. Clarke was very impressed. Bellamy had certainly outdone himself getting the others motivated.

"Finally decided to come outside then, princess." Clarke smiled wryly as she turned to face Bellamy who had come up beside her.

"I couldn't rest what with all the noise going on out here." Clarke gestured at the others. "Good work getting them motivated."

Bellamy grinned at her. "Is that a hint of praise, princess?"

"Yes, but don't get used to it." Clarke laughed. "I am sure I'll find something to complain about when I've had a good look around."

"You do that." Bellamy winked at her before someone calling his name made him sigh. "Duty calls."

"Off you go then." Clarke replied. "Bellamy?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't get to really say this before, but thank you." Clarke said earnestly.

Bellamy's grin faded as his expression became serious. "Try not to fall ill again."

"I promise." Clarke saluted him which made him smile again.

* * *

Clarke wandered around the camp some more, greeting some people and talking to others about what they were doing. All the signs of industrious activity gladdened her heart and eased some of the heavy burden she had been feeling lately. Only a few called on her medical expertise, and they were only minor problems. All in all everyone seemed pretty healthy. Clarke just hoped it would remain that way. She eventually headed over to the enclosure which contained their washing facilities. Clarke felt grimy and was longing to wash away the last effects of her illness and maybe wash her hair, which felt lank and greasy.

She headed inside only to find that the water was empty. Typical, she thought to herself. She left again, running a hand through her tangled blonde hair. She had been so looking forward to cleaning herself up. Well maybe she could still do so. There was a small pool of water not too far from the boundary fence. It was no good for drinking but she could actually take a swim in it and really wash her skin down. Only few people used it, preferring the water that was heated by the generator.

Clarke knew that Bellamy or Finn would create a fuss if they knew she was intending to slip outside so she decided to keep it to herself. Taking time to make sure that no one was watching her closely, she crept out of the main gates while the others were busy hauling in more wood, and set off for the pool.

* * *

The water was cold, but Clarke didn't care. She stripped down to her t-shirt and panties then slowly stepped into the pool. She drew in a sharp breath as the cold water swirled around her but she ignored the bite and submerged herself completely, making sure to get her hair wet. Clarke swam around for a while, and her exertions produced body heat, which in turn made her get used to the cold water. She had washed the grime out of her hair as best she could and used her fingers to untangle it so that it now lay in wet strands along her back. After twenty minutes Clarke pulled herself up onto the bank and quickly towelled herself down with a blanket she had brought with her.

It seemed colder out of the water and she quickly stripped off her t-shirt and panties and pulled on her other clothes. She zipped her jacket up tightly and rolled her wet things in the blanket and placed them under her arm. She felt so much fresher. Washing away the last traces of the illness had revitalized her. It was only when she began to backtrack toward camp that she heard a slight noise. Clarke froze as she stared around.

"Who's there?" She called out.

Laughter greeted her question. A shadowy figure emerged from between the trees and Clarke dropped her blanket in shock as she stared right into the crazed eyes of Murphy.

* * *

"We thought you were long gone." Clarke was the first to speak and break the deadlock between them.

A smirk crossed his lips as he looked her up and down. "No I had a few loose ends to tie up. I enjoyed the show by the way." He leered.

"You were watching me?" Clarke was disgusted. She took a step away from him.

"Apart from your terrible attitude you're quite a looker." Murphy's smirk widened as he began to walk toward her. "But still that doesn't mean that I'm going to spare Bellamy's little princess. I thought the infected water would have got you, but no, you had to pull through."

"That was you?" Clarke whispered in horror. "How did you even manage to get the water into the camp?"

"I have my contacts." Murphy sneered. "Trust no one."

"We have a traitor?" Clarke said in disbelief. This thought made her feel nauseated. It could be absolutely anyone.

"You sure do." Murphy edged closer. "More than one. Not everyone wants to live by your rules."

Clarke pressed her back against the tree. The knife that she always carried in the back pocket of her cargo pants pressed into her skin. Murphy came right up to her, he placed one hand above her head and leaned so that his face was level with hers. His stale breath washed over her and Clarke tried not to gag. He was disgusting.

"Maybe I should steal a kiss before ending your pitiful life?" Murphy pressed his body fully onto hers.

Clarke twisted her face away from him as her hand slid behind her back and drew the knife from her pocket. She felt Murphy's hand slide up her side until it reached her face. His rancid breath washed over her again as he began to turn her face toward him. He didn't see it coming. In one swift movement, Clarke plunged the knife into the side of his neck and watched as he fell to the ground, a strange gurgling emanating from his throat. His eyes remained wide in a surprised look as if he couldn't quite believe what had happened. Clarke stared down at him impassively as she watched the life drain from him. When she was certain he was dead she retrieved her knife and wiped the bloody blade on the grass.

"That's for Charlotte and for Bellamy." She told him before striding away, not once looking back.

* * *

Bellamy could see that Clarke was hyped up when she marched into his tent and ordered the others away. He had been in the middle of holding a meeting. The others looked at her curiously as they all filed outside. Clarke made sure that they were not within hearing distance before she stood next to Bellamy and whispered into his ear.

"Murphy is dead."

"What?" Bellamy was astonished.

Clarke told him what had happened. His face darkened as he learned about her reckless trip outside of the camp. He was just about to argue with her when her next words made his mouth clamp shut.

"We have traitors in the camp, Bellamy." She whispered. "Murphy made that quite clear."

_**A/N-thanks for reading! **_


	13. Chapter 13

**A Quiet Moment **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

_**A/N-I'm back! I think you'll like this chapter! Thanks for the lovely reviews. Nikki :)**_

**Part Thirteen**

Bellamy was quiet for a moment as he took in what Clarke had just revealed. Murphy was dead and they had traitors within the camp. Some of whom had slipped Clarke the infected water. "You shouldn't have left camp alone." He snapped at a surprised Clarke.

"What?" She was taken aback at his response.

"I didn't spend all that time fighting to keep you alive so you can recklessly wander off alone. Murphy could have killed you." Bellamy seized her by the shoulders and shook her a little. He couldn't believe she had been so reckless. What if she hadn't been able to overpower Murphy? What if he had shot her like he had done to him?

Clarke shoved him away from her; anger glinting in her eyes. "I am so sorry you had to use your precious time to keep me alive." She retorted; deeply hurt by his words.

"You just don't get it, princess, do you?" Bellamy threw his hands up in the air as he glared at her in exasperation.

"Get what?" Clarke spat sarcastically as she turned her back on him.

"You are so clueless. Do I have to spell it out for you?" Bellamy gripped her shoulders and spun her round so she was facing him again. She had never seem him so angry. He lowered his head so it was near hers. She could feel his warm breath wash over her skin.

"It seems that you do." Clarke could no longer keep the hurt out of her voice. Why was he acting like this? She wasn't some weak female who couldn't take care of herself. Hadn't she proved that over and over? She had thought Bellamy understood. Out of everyone, even Finn, he seemed to. They had grown closer over the last few fraught weeks. Circumstances had brought them together. He wasn't just her co-leader anymore; Clarke thought of Bellamy as a friend, and lately, something more.

The anger seemed to seep from Bellamy's face as he continued to stare into her eyes. The confusion and hurt shone clearly in her blue eyes as she gazed back at him defiantly. He could almost see her barriers going up; it had been so hard to bring them down. If he wasn't careful she would retreat behind them again and push him away. He had been holding back because of her illness, afraid to push her in case she couldn't cope. It hadn't helped with Finn constantly hovering over her, never giving him a moment to really be alone with her and talk. The unspoken attraction between them was now so obvious Bellamy had heard others quietly commenting on it. Octavia had certainly pointed it out to him on several occasions.

"Are you ever going to speak?" Clarke demanded as she watched a slow smile cross Bellamy's face.

"Talking is overrated." Bellamy put one hand under her chin and raised her head so their lips were almost touching. He saw understanding dawn in Clarke's eyes right before he pressed his mouth to hers.

* * *

Clarke's eyelids fluttered closed as she unconsciously slipped her arms around Bellamy's neck. Being kissed by him was so different to Finn. Finn was a hesitant kisser, he would always start off soft and slow, but that was not Bellamy's way. His hands immediately clutched her around the waist as he yanked her body onto his. She could feel every sinewy muscle of his toned body pressed against her as his lips devoured hers. The heat was building between them quickly. Clarke's fingers twined into his thick, black hair as he made a noise in the back of his throat. Their mouths parted briefly as they both drew in air quickly.

"Hey can we come back in yet...woah!" Jasper's eyes widened as he saw Clarke and Bellamy wrapped around each other. He gave them both a sheepish smile as they turned at the same time and glared at him. "Sorry." He raised his hands and quickly backed out of the tent.

"Hell, he's going to tell everyone." Clarke couldn't believe she had let herself get so carried away while the others were waiting just outside. She had interrupted Bellamy while he had been in a meeting. She had completely forgotten about them. That wasn't like her at all. She dared to glance at Bellamy, and sure enough, he had a huge grin on his face.

* * *

"Jasper can we talk?" Clarke approached him cautiously, her hands rubbing together nervously.

"Are you sure you have enough breath to talk?" Jasper quipped as he raised his eyebrows meaningfully.

"You're a funny guy." Clarke said sarcastically.

"So I'm told." Jasper was not going to make it easy for her. She heard Bellamy laughing behind her as he ordered the others back inside the tent so he could resume his meeting.

"What you saw back there." Clarke motioned toward the tent. "Can you keep it to yourself for now?"

Jasper smiled at her. He put one hand on her shoulder and saluted her with the other. "Your secret is safe. I would never have told anyone anyway."

Clarke smiled at him in relief. "I know you wouldn't. Thank you, Jasper."

Jasper patted her shoulder before leaving her to join the others.

* * *

Clarke walked slowly back to the drop ship. She couldn't get the image of Bellamy kissing her out of her head. She had so much to deal with now that she knew it was Murphy behind her illness and also the fact that they had possible traitors in camp, and all she could think about was Bellamy's lips. "Get a grip, girl." She muttered to herself.

"Talking to yourself is the first sign you know." Finn came running up beside her, startling her.

"Don't creep up on me like that." Clarke snapped at him, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"Are you alright?" Finn inquired, a worried frown on his handsome face. It wasn't like her to snap like that.

"I'm fine. I just had a rough morning." Clarke ran a hand through her blonde hair. It was finally drying off now.

"Can I help?" Finn asked gently, his expressive eyes peering into hers with concern.

Clarke sighed. He was going to find out about Murphy anyway so it was better coming from her. She knew he was going to lecture her about leaving camp alone, it was best to get it over with. "I have something to confess..." she began.

* * *

It was night time. The moon was high in the sky and the stars shone brightly in the cloudless sky. It was beautiful. Clarke sat alone on the high walls of the camp staring up into the heavens. She had finally shaken Finn off after their huge argument. He had been extremely angry at her recklessness. This wasn't what she had wanted to hear. The memory of Murphy trying to kiss her before she managed to kill him was still in the forefront of her mind. She needed understanding not lectures. Their loud voices had attracted the attention of the others and in the end Finn had marched off in a temper after she yelled at him to keep away from her.

"Hey." Clarke turned her head to the side when she heard Bellamy's voice. He climbed up beside her and sat down, crossing his long legs in front of him.

"Hey." Clarke gave him a faint smile before turning her attention back to the sky.

"Are you alright?" Bellamy bumped his shoulder with hers gently.

"I don't know." Clarke swallowed thickly, she bit her bottom lip hard to keep her voice steady.

"I would have killed Murphy for what he tried to do if you hadn't dispatched him already." Bellamy said grimly.

Clarke glanced at Bellamy's profile. His eyes were full of anger and his shoulders were tense. "I know you would."

Bellamy turned his head. "What do we do now?"

"About the traitors?" Clarke questioned.

"Yes them and...and about us." Bellamy watched her reaction carefully.

"I'm not sure." Clarke replied hesitantly. "What do you think we should do?"

"I have no idea." Bellamy gave her a half smile as he bumped her shoulder again. "You're not ready yet are you?"

"There's Finn to sort out... and we have so much responsibility." Clarke sighed heavily.

"Finn can go to hell." Bellamy said dismissively.

Clarke finally looked at him properly. The best thing would be to put their impromptu kiss behind them and move on, but she didn't want to. The memory of his lips on hers wouldn't leave her. Bellamy was a player, how many girls had he slept with? She wouldn't even like to guess a number. Would she just be another one in a long line? That wasn't how she worked. When she fell for someone, she fell hard. Could she risk her heart for a second time? Her experience with Finn had hurt her badly.

As if he could read all these thoughts passing through her mind, Bellamy reached out and pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. "We'll go slow." He promised her. "This is different, you're different. You mean a lot to me."

Clarke knew what a difficult confession that was for Bellamy. She appreciated his words. He leaned close and pressed his mouth to hers, kissing her deeply, as if sealing a promise.

_**A/N-thanks for reading! Please review! **_


	14. Chapter 14

**A Quiet Moment**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

_**A/N-thank you for the awesome reviews. I appreciate each and every one of them. Nikki :)**_

**Part Fourteen**

Clarke walked around the camp; her eyes trained on all the people she thought she knew so well. Who could the traitor or traitor's be? She didn't like to think about it, the very thought that one of their own could perpetrate such an act sickened her. She hated to think that she couldn't trust those closest to her. As of now everyone was a suspect. Clarke saw Bellamy in the distance, as he too walked around the outskirts of the camp, his eyes wary as he looked at one person than another. As if an invisible thread was holding them together, he glanced over in her direction, almost at the same time she looked over toward him. He smiled slowly when he saw her and Clarke felt her own lips curving up into an answering smile. Memories of their shared kisses brought a tinge of red to her cheeks. She wondered if Bellamy was thinking the same. He raised his hand in greeting before his attention was torn away from her when one of his friends called out to him. Clarke reluctantly watched him turn away from her before continuing on her journey.

"Can we talk?" Finn's soft voice startled Clarke. She spun round and stared at him. Finn was looking at her expectantly, obviously expecting her to say something.

Clarke cleared her throat. "If you are just going to lecture me about going outside the camp then..."

Finn reached out and caught hold of her arm. Clarke stared down at his fingers which were clutching the material of her jacket tightly. It was only then that she noticed how edgy he seemed. "This is urgent. Please Clarke, I know I have been an ass...but can we go somewhere private?"

Clarke bit her lip for a moment before complying. She nodded and followed after Finn as he led the way to the back of the camp and pulled her behind the drop ship. "What is it?" She asked testily, annoyed at the way he kept trying to place his hands on her, she was sure he was doing it deliberately.

Finn leaned in close and whispered in her ear. Clarke felt uncomfortable, he was invading her personal space again, but she held herself steady as she listened to his words. "I went outside and checked the place where you said you had encountered Murphy and killed him."

"And?"

"And..." Finn paused as if for dramatic effect. "His body is gone, Clarke. I found the dried pool of blood, but Murphy himself was not there."

"That is impossible." Clarke staggered back in her shock. Finn reached out and steadied her, he tried to put his arm around her but Clarke shook him off. "He was dead...I checked...I..."

"Maybe you were so stressed about what happened you got it wrong." Finn replied.

"I stabbed him." Clarke said incredulously. She was having trouble believing that Murphy had survived that, let alone getting back on his feet and heading off somewhere without help. Unless...unless he was aided in some way. Clarke felt nauseous. Someone from within the camp must have rescued Murphy.

"Clarke you look pale? I'm worried about you." Finn stepped forward and put his arms around her before Clarke had a chance to back away. Her mind was a whirlwind of confusion.

"I need to tell Bellamy." She whispered.

"Bellamy?" Finn's voice hardened. "No we can deal with this together. He will just act irrationally. I don't want him involved."

Clarke pushed Finn away from her again, annoyed by his constant criticism toward Bellamy. "He needs to be told. Stop maligning him."

"He really has messed with your head, hasn't he?" Finn snapped. "You can't trust him, Clarke. He is reckless and..."

"And has saved your butt on more than one occasion." Clarke retorted.

"By torturing Lincoln." Finn frowned and shook his head stubbornly.

"You would be dead right now if he hadn't. I was complicit in that too." Clarke reminded him.

"Only because of your concern for me." Finn's eyes softened as he tried to take her hand.

"Will you stop turning everything back to you and me. We are not together, Finn." Clarke said angrily.

"We could be if you would just let me in. But you insist on holding onto your anger because of Raven. She and I are no longer together." Finn pleaded.

"But you kept her a secret from me." Clarke felt like she was in ground hog day, going over the same old arguments.

"I thought I was never going to see Raven again when we landed here." Finn tried to reach for her again but Clarke sidestepped him.

"We were down here ten days when we slept together, Finn. You had been away from Raven for barely two weeks. What does that say about you?" Clarke said bitterly. "Anyway this is all irrelevant. I need to see Bellamy and tell him."

"NO." Finn spat. "Keep him out of it."

"I don't think I know you at all." Clarke looked at him in disgust as she saw the blatant jealousy written all over Finn's handsome face. She turned her back on him and strode away, not once looking back.

* * *

It took a while to find Bellamy. She scouted around his usual haunts but couldn't trace him. Clarke was getting increasingly frustrated with her lack of progress. Where was he? She marched out of his tent and headed toward the food tent, hoping that he may be in there. No luck. She came back out into the light and for the second time that day was taken unawares. A hand grabbed hold of her arm and spun her round; before Clarke could speak, Bellamy crashed his lips to hers and kissed her, stealing her breath away. He had a smug grin on his face when the kiss ended, obviously pleased at her flustered reaction.

"We have to stop meeting like this." He quipped.

Clarke took a moment to let her heart rate go back to normal. She felt a surge of relief flood through her now that he was here. She flung herself into his arms and held on tight, this time taking Bellamy by surprise. He hugged her to him as she hid her face in his shoulder, trying to compose herself a little before she broke the news about Murphy's possible survival. As if he could sense Clarke's ambivalence, Bellamy's expression became serious. He waited for her to gather herself together, then he stepped back and examined her face.

"What is it?"

"Murphy." Clarke said in a low tone.

"What about him?" Bellamy lowered his head so he could peer into her expressive blue eyes.

"Finn just told me he went to investigate and check that Muprhy was really dead. His body is gone, Bellamy. I was so sure he was dead. I was sure..." Clarke's voice tailed off as she tried to understand how she could have made such a major error.

"Calm down, princess." Bellamy put his hands on her shoulders. "You were under a lot of duress. It was a mistake anyone could have made."

"But I shouldn't have. Because of my carelessness he is still out there." Clarke would not be reassured.

"From what you said he is badly injured." Bellamy pointed out. "He might have been able to move, but that doesn't mean he will survive."

"Unless he had help." Clarke pointed out.

Bellamy became still as he took in the possibility. They both knew they had traitors in the camp. Perhaps Murphy hadn't been out that day alone after all, and when Clarke stabbed him, Murphy's cohort had rescued him. "Dammit this just gets worse and worse." He ran a hand agitatedly through his thick, black hair. "I have been trying to work out for most of the day who it could be."

"Me too." Clarke sighed as she glanced over toward the center of the camp. It was horrible to think that someone could do something so awful. "What are we going to do?"

"What did Finn say?" Bellamy asked suddenly.

Clarke dropped her eyes to the floor. "You know Finn." She mumbled.

"He didn't want you to tell me, did he?"

"No." She admitted.

"He is unbelievable. We have a major crisis on our hands and that fool can think of nothing else but trying to get you back. He is a f..."

"Bellamy." Clarke warned him before he could curse anymore, they were beginning to attract attention now he had raised his voice.

Bellamy swallowed thickly, his eyes glowing fiercely as he thought about Finn trying to sink his hooks back into Clarke. It was time that he was told where he stood, which was nowhere. Clarke could almost read the thoughts going through his mind. She put a calming hand on his chest.

"Finn doesn't matter right now. We have to find out who the traitor is."

"I know. It's just..." Bellamy didn't finish what he was about to say, he just gazed at Clarke. She felt he could see right into the depths of her soul.

"Come on we need to make a start. Call a meeting or something." Clarke hated breaking the connection between them, but the atmosphere was getting intense. She smiled at him weakly before turning to lead the way back to the main drop ship.

"Princess..." Bellamy said huskily.

Clarke glanced over her shoulder at him, an indefinable light shining in her eyes. "I know, Bellamy. I know." She whispered before continuing on her way.

_**A/N-thanks for reading! Please review and tell me what you think. Reviews inspire me to update quicker. Drop me a line if you have any ideas for this story. Nikki :)**_


	15. Chapter 15

**A Quiet Moment**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

_**A/N-thank you so much for the awesome reviews. You are all amazing readers! Nikki :)**_

**Part Fifteen**

Bellamy and Clarke exchanged a knowing glance before Bellamy called out to everyone to gather round. He and Clarke stood together in the entrance to the drop ship, flanked by Raven and Octavia. Jasper and Monty stood to one side; they had already been told what the meeting was about. The rest of the group stood In a semi-circle, looking at their co-leaders curiously.

"We have something to tell you." Bellamy continued, watching everyone's reactions carefully. "The other day Clarke encountered Murphy and was attacked by him."

Frantic whispering flew among the group as they stared around incredulously. The last time they had seen Murphy had been when he was tossed out of the camp for his part in Charlotte's death. Bellamy let them talk for a moment before calling for order again.

"That is not all." He stared them all down, his eyes fierce. "Clarke barely escaped with her life, she thought she had managed to kill Murphy, but it seems that he may still be alive. We now know that he was responsible for getting the infected water into camp which Clarke drank. He has not only tried to kill me but her too. I won't have that." His voice thundered around the camp as the group all became still; his expression and confident demeanor putting them under some type of spell. Not for the first time, Clarke thought how easy it was for Bellamy to command his audience.

Clarke stepped forward and took over, she exchanged another wry glance with Bellamy before speaking. "Murphy is now considered a danger and a threat to us all. If anyone sees him the order is to kill on sight. We show him no mercy." Her blue eyes flickered around the group as they all looked back at her, their gazes riveted on the blonde beauty, whose expression was as fierce and determined as Bellamy's.

Bellamy touched Clarke's arm and she turned to look at him. He nodded his head at her again as she prepared to deliver the killer blow. "We have also found out that we have a traitor or traitors in the camp. Murphy must have had help slipping that infected water to me, and we have discovered his body has gone from where I left him. I gave him what I thought was a fatal wound, if he has managed to survive that, it means that he wasn't alone out there when he tried to attack me for the second time."

Horrified mutterings began to flow through the gathered youngsters as they all began to eye each other with suspicion. Bellamy and Clarke watched the ripple of unease spread through the group, and they took careful note of who seemed the most agitated and uncomfortable. It was Jasper who broke Clarke's concentration with his next question.

"Where's Finn?" He asked innocently, looking around.

Clarke frowned as she began to scout around for Finn. He was nowhere in sight. She saw Bellamy's eyes darken as he too began to search for him. Raven appeared perplexed, her thick eyebrows were drawn together as if she was trying to work something out. Jasper and Monty just exchanged puzzled glances.

"He knew we were calling the meeting." Clarke said uneasily. "You told him didn't you Raven?"

"No, I haven't seen him. The last time I did he was trailing after you." Her voice had a hint of bitterness in it that she couldn't quite hide.

Clarke ignored Raven's tone and bit her lip again as the group began to mill about. Accusations were beginning to fly amongst them as they began to take sides. The least popular members were already beginning to be singled out. A fight broke out between two factions and Bellamy immediately drew his gun and fired it in the air, startling them all.

"This is not why we called the meeting today." He yelled at them. "We assumed you were all mature enough to handle the truth. It seems that I misjudged you."

Shamed faces looked back at him as the group began to calm down and listen to his pointed words. Bellamy jumped off his platform and strode among them, his expression grim as he looked at each and every one of them. "Listen to me. We have to remain united. Whoever the traitor is, his or her days are numbered. We will find them and they will be brought before you. However I will not have any infighting like this. We have to stick together. These are uncertain times and we still have the Grounders to consider. They could attack at any time so we must not lose our cohesiveness. Do you understand?"

One by one the others called out their support or nodded their heads. Satisfied that he had them back under control, Bellamy rejoined Clarke and the others. "The meeting is over." He called out.

"One last thing." Clarke said before they began to disperse. "If anyone has any information they think is relevant, come to see me or Bellamy."

Once again their were murmurs of agreement before they all began to separate into small groups, whispering amongst themselves about the latest turn of events. Clarke breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Bellamy weakly. "Well now they know."

"Yeah, now they know." Bellamy rested the shotgun over his shoulder as he glanced about the camp again. "What I want to know right now is, where the hell is Finn?"

His question was greeted with a tense silence.

* * *

Clarke, accompanied by Raven, scouted around the camp, discreetly trying to find any trace of Finn. The two girls did not speak, but went about their task in tense silence. After a thorough search, they both had to admit that Finn was nowhere in camp, which meant for reasons of his own he had left.

"Bellamy thinks Finn is a traitor." Raven was the first to speak.

"No he doesn't." Clarke said weakly, knowing that Raven was right. She had seen the dark look in Bellamy's eyes when it was discovered that Finn was nowhere to be seen.

"Yes, he does." Raven persisted. "I've witnessed the tension growing between them, mainly over you."

"Me?" Clarke tried to keep her voice steady.

"I am not a fool." Raven snapped. "I know that Finn is in love with you, and Bellamy, well..." She left the rest unsaid.

"I am not with Finn, Raven." Clarke replied softly.

"No? You would like to be though. Don't let your guilt over me stop you." She said bitterly.

"No, you don't understand. I don't want to be with Finn." Clarke watched Raven's face crumple in confusion.

"But you and he..." she said uncertainly.

"We might have had something at the beginning, but he betrayed me. I never knew about you. I can't forgive him for lying." Clarke's eyes showed her honesty.

Raven swallowed thickly. "Is it Bellamy?"

Clarke just smiled sadly. "Come on, we better get back to the others."

Raven sighed as she followed Clarke back to the main command tent. Wherever Finn was, she couldn't help him. He was on his own.

* * *

Murphy coughed up more blood, soaking his already sodden jacket. He wiped at his mouth and leaned back against the cave's cool walls. His eyes closed as a hand shot out and passed him water. He took it and tried to dribble some into his mouth. He managed to swallow some. He passed the bottle back to his companion.

"You were a fool to go against her." His companion spat sarcastically. "Now look at the state of you."

"I nearly had her. How was I to know she had a knife?" Murphy muttered.

"That is three failed attempts on them. Bellamy and Clarke must have someone watching over them, or nine lives like a damn cat." His companion muttered darkly.

"Well we have pull now." Murphy opened his weary eyes again and glanced to the side. On the floor beside him, bound up so tight that he couldn't move, lay a comatose Finn. He had been badly beaten.

"Thanks to me." Murphy's companion smiled smugly as they drank the water down in one go. "Clarke won't be able to resist exchanging herself for her lover. And Bellamy will do everything he can to save his little princess. They won't get away this time."

"And once they're dead, we can take their place. With the leaders gone the rats will start to turn on each other. We swoop in and take over." Murphy choked out.

His companion laughed and stood up. "I need to get back before it's noticed that I'm missing."

Murphy's lips turned up into a grotesque smile. His bloodied face looked frightening in the dim light. "They'll rue the day they turned on me."

His companion nodded their agreement before silently leaving the cave and melting into the darkness.

* * *

It was night. Bellamy retreated to his tent to get some rest, after being on watch for hours. He wasn't surprised to see Clarke lying on his makeshift bed, her eyes open as she stared above her. "Hey." He said as he sat next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It's been one hell of a day." Clarke turned her head to look at him. Bellamy's face was half in shadow, but she could still see the concern written all over him. "No sign of Finn then?"

"No."

"You think he betrayed us?" Clarke tried to hold her emotions in check. Finn couldn't be a part of the conspiracy, he just couldn't. Otherwise it meant she hadn't known him at all. What did that say about her?

"I don't want to think he is part of it. I mean he loves you, anyone can see that." It was hard for Bellamy to admit that another loved Clarke. He stared down at his feet for a moment.

"I am not certain Finn knows what true love is." Clarke whispered, her words full of meaning.

Bellamy's head shot up and he gazed at her, his dark eyes full of questions. He reached out and tenderly stroked her face with the back of his hand. Clarke felt her heart begin to beat faster; she was drowning in the intensity of his eyes. Their eyes melded and they sat there for a long time, just looking at each other, saying without words, exactly what they couldn't yet voice aloud.

"Hold me." Clarke whispered. She rolled so that she was facing away from him.

Bellamy placed his gun carefully on the floor and climbed onto the makeshift bed, his strong arms wrapping around Clarke as he spooned behind her. Clarke snuggled close to him, his body heat warming up her chilled skin. She finally relaxed and closed her eyes, succumbing to sleep now that he was safely with her.

_**A/N-thanks for reading! As ever reviews give me inspiration! Nikki :)**_


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